News - April 2, 2010

Demand and request for SUF internships on the rise

It’s no surprise that more and more SUF students are seeking internships as a way to gain the relevant work experience employers want when seeking to hire. The news is the rise in demand for SUF students on the part of companies and museums in the host city of Florence.

Debora Spini, SUF Internship Coordinator, announced she has seen a sharp rise in the number of requests SUF receives from well-established, trusted, and known community-based agencies, private firms, and others located in Florence, for collaboration with SUF students. When the internship program began, in 2003, the majority of the requests related to studio arts. The fastest growing sector is now in marketing and communications. “The word is out that our students perform well on the job—it’s very satisfying,” says Spini with a smile. From 6% when the program began, participation on the part of SUF students in the internship program is now close to 25%. Internships are fast becoming an integral part of the curriculum, even for students abroad. Spini’s biggest challenge is encouraging students to initially find a way around the language barrier, after which “the problem takes care of itself.”

Aside from being an obvious resumé builder, Spini says SUF internships offer a global perspective and intensive cultural integration. She particularly likes that they get students outside of the university bubble—“no small feat!” Allison Glass, Syracuse University, agrees wholeheartedly, “Every Monday, I am able to spend three glorious hours with the most amazing eight-year-old Italian children in the world. This experience has been one of the major factors leading to my learning of Italian. In addition, my knowledge and understanding of the Italian culture and way of life has expanded effortlessly. Simply walking into the school building every day is culturally enriching because I’m taken off campus and thrown into a very residential section of the city of Florence. This experience has soared past my expectations.”

With over 50 host organizations, students generally have no problem finding an internship in synch with their major. Blair Benson, Syracuse University, notes, “As an international relations major I was looking for an opportunity to work with an international organization. UNICEF fit that bill perfectly. Interning for them has opened my eyes to the true nature of an international response: I am an American student interning for an Italian organization and working to organize a benefit for Haiti. I am learning so much about how international organizations function.”

That internships create mutually beneficial relationships is true without a doubt, “especially in the case of international students,” says Spini. Interns abroad develop cultural sensitivity: they can’t help but become more aware of the economic, social, and environmental situation of the local community. Organizations offering internships gain from learning to understand a different point of view, and coordinating differing strategies. Ashley Juavinett (Lafayette College) and Samantha McQueen (SU), together with Benson, are currently organizing a fundraising event for UNICEF's efforts in Haiti, and could not be more pleased at their progress so far. Juavinett, a sociology major, finds the differences between American and Italian non-profits fascinating and appreciates their being able to work independently, designing their own program for a fundraiser.

Benson agrees. “I have found that working with the Italian-based UNICEF program allows for a completely different perspective of the country and its people. The language barrier and cultural differences proved to be difficult in terms of our role in the organization, but together with the help of our faculty advisor we learned to use our strengths to develop new projects that cater to our particular skills as English-speaking students. I think UNICEF was impressed with the initiative we took to reach out to a new audience, the American university students in Florence, for the organization. They have learned from us, as we have from them.”

Charlotte Watts, Emory University, acknowledges the deep impact her internship experience has made on her study abroad experience. As a fine arts photographer, Watts said the main focus and biggest challenge as a photo intern has been to truly represent what the students are doing in various settings. “Documenting the SUF volunteers at work helping to rebuild the town of Abruzzo allowed me to dig deeper into the photojournalism side of photography and make images that reflect what is currently happening in ‘real life’. This has influenced my work because I am trying to accurately represent what I see, as opposed to what I can abstract.”

Benson, Juavinett, and McQueen affirm they have received nothing but enthusiasm and cooperation from both their SUF faculty sponsor and UNICEF: “If we generate results equal to the support we have been given, we will be so pleased. It truly is a fantastic learning experience and we are grateful for this amazing opportunity.”

A call for excellence: professors submit selected student nominees for Coluccio Salutati Prize spring 2010

Faculty members have submitted their nominees for SUF’s Coluccio Salutati Prize, a merit award for undergraduate and graduate students intended to recognize those who have aspired to the highest level of integration into the Italian culture, as well as those who have demonstrated academic achievement through their performance in class. Nominated students have been invited to submit an essay by Wednesday, April 7, either in English or Italian, on some aspect of their experience in Italy. Winners will be announced April 14, and the four winning students will be honored at the Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 22.