Why did you decide to become an Italian major? How did it shape your time at Wellesley?
I graduated from Wellesley in 2009 with dual degrees in IR-History and Italian. I chose to study Italian because I had heard about the ECCO in Bologna study abroad program and even as a first year I decided that was where I wanted to go (and be able to eat lots of gelato). When I returned I did an independent study with the Italian and History departments on the history of Italian Fascism, which opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about history and was probably one of the most challenging and interesting things I did at Wellesley. I became really close with the other Italian majors. One of my favorite experiences was decorating the Italian department as seniors, we printed out pictures of famous Italians and had them saying silly things in Italian! After I graduated I convinced my sister to study in Milan instead of Paris, and she ended up falling in love with an Italian guy! I take all the credit for their relationship and was able to give a bi-lingual speech at their wedding so both sides could understand.
How has it influenced your life after Wellesley?
I think I'm a good example of someone who is doing a "non traditional" role for a humanities major. My previous positions were doing historical research and nonprofit management, but now I'm a business intelligence analyst at The Knot. I'm probably one of the only people in the Technology department who has a liberal arts degree, but I think it's been to my benefit. I have the technical knowledge, but I also have the skills from my humanities studies to explain difficult technical concepts to business stakeholders. I try to use my Italian as much as I can, whether talking to a local shopkeeper or helping tourists with directions. Plus, now that my sister has in-laws in Milan, I have an open invitation to visit them and eat gelato whenever I want.