Student Voices

Ashley Alvarez and Eric Margolies on their romance with Italian, from the top of the Dolomiti mountains. "We met in Italian I. We fell in love. We came to the Study Abrod in Venice, and we really fell in love with Italy"... "And we got credit for it"... "The best part!" (Click on the picture to watch the video)

Vicente Pereira Duque, class of 2021, Italian Major, speaks of how taking Italian at FAU "has changed his life." He is a substitute teacher and works on cruise ships, and plays heartfelt soccer. (Click on the picture to watch)

Brittni Rallston Zilberti on the unexpected path her life has taken after her graduation with an Italian minor at Florida Atlantic University, and after writing a letter to Juliet, in Verona. You can read her stories as an expat in her blog. (Click on the picture to watch the video)

This video was done to encourage the students of Italian who had just switched to remote learning for the first time and were locked in their homes. In March 2020, we did not know how it would go, how long it would last, when shops and schools and sports would open again. At FAU, we did not want to lose touch with our students and friends and learned to use Zoom for the first time. Friends, alumni and current students give an encouragement for our Italian classes. In Italian. (Click on the picture to watch)

Nicole Barilla, Italian Minor, and Marjorie Hernandez, Italian Major, speak about their Undergraduate Research study during the FAU Study Abroad Program in Venice, summer 2019. (Click on the picture to watch video).

Nicoletta Sorice on her graduation with a BA in Linguistics: Italian, at 81. She recorded this story for "The Public Storyteller," NPR Radio program by Dr. Caren Neil. She is congratulated by Florida Atlantic University president John Kelly. (Click on the picture to listen).

Magdalena Pire-Schmidt on landing a ten-year job experience at Google in California and Ireland, thanks to her B.A. in Italian. (Click on the picture to watch the video)

Italian major, Richard (Riccardo) Leon speaks about his love for Italian, in Italian. (Click on the picture to watch the video)

Michelle Trujillo tells how IIalian literature inflluenced her filmmaking. Michelle graduated with a double major in Italian and Communications, and is now a film instructor at the University Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she earned an MFA, Film, Video, Animation and New Genres.

Amy Volpe on how her Italian studies at Florida Atlantic University helped her in her growth. Amy has a career as a teacher in Florida Virtual School and is still an active member of Club Insieme. (Click on the picture to see the video)

Nicholas Christodoulidis, participant in the first Study Abroad in Venice, on his experience singing in the choir of Saint Mark’s Basilica. LINK

Zachary Scalzo on his career as an artist and a scholar – started in the Italian program at FAU. LINK

Alessia Martini on continuing her Italian career from Master’s to professorship. LINK

Gianni Croci on Studying in Venice. While there he started the research for his Honor's Thesis, Venetian National Identity: An Ethno-Symbolic Approach. Update: the thesis has been published by FAU in concomitance with the 1600 anniversary of the foundation of Venice and is available here. LINK