There’s something quite special about the Italian language and culture, a conglomerate of various and unique clusters that embody Mediterranean and Western European ways of life. When you study Italian, when you truly embrace the rich history, art and social changes that come with the moving parts of Italian geopolitics, you become a different person. You learn to distinguish the nuances of subgroups in a whole; you see the world through the colored lenses of someone who has explored a goldmine of literature, music and art; you become a better converser thanks to your multi-lingual background. These skills, applied in the workplace, makes you stand out in a great way!
I currently work in an analytics role at an asset management company, and Italian is heavily integrated into my daily life. Let me walk you through the ways in which Italian affects me:
At work, I acclimate to new applications and programming languages quickly because my brain has been trained to pick up new syntax and vocabulary after four years of intensive Italian study. (In fact, that was an awesome selling point when I interviewed for jobs.) I also believe that all the marvelous films, texts and media I have been put in contact with through Italian Studies lectures and seminars at Wellesley still bear a subliminal effect on my creativity and communication skills. They come in handy for projects and client servicing even in the financial services industry.
When I network, I run into an unbelievable number of Italians and Italian enthusiasts. Not only is Italian phonetically beautiful, it’s interesting to speak about. Italy is relevant and important across many economic and social domains, so majoring in Italian helped to build the foundation upon which I follow, learn and talk about what’s happening around the world. When I’m lucky, I make new Italian friends. When I’m not, I still benefit from knowing the language: I once had an interview with a hiring manager who happened to be Italian, which ended up as a winning, but rapid fire, daunting Italian conversation. While that kind of experience occurs infrequently, I never take for granted how useful Italian is.
Lastly, Italian becomes a lifelong love after you experience the amazing curriculum of the Department of Italian Studies. I enjoy Italian films and music regularly (FYI, the winner of the 2014 Golden Globes and Oscar awards for Best Foreign Film was…you guessed it! Italian!), and attend many interesting exhibits and shows about Italian history and art. If you have any level of affinity for the Italian language, cultivate it, because as an alumna, I can attest to how rewarding and enriching being an Italian Studies major is. Speaking Italian becomes a vital element of who you are, professionally and personally. It’s absolutely worth it.
P.S. If I look familiar, I am Anna in Professor Bartalesi-Graf’s Italian language course on edX!