Develop your skills at your Internship abroad – Victoria tells…

Hello!

My name is Victoria Pucci-Schaefer, I am a study abroad student for the Spring 2019 semester at Sant’Anna! My home university is the State University of New York at Fredonia where I study Public Relations.

My experience abroad has been extremely eye opening and beneficial to not only my academic development but also my personal development. At Sant’Anna, I take classes to further my knowledge about topics that I may not be given the opportunity to at my home university. I learn about the study of archaeology and how important it is to uncover the past of this region but also to make discoveries that can help shape the future. We take this time to visit many of the famous archaeological sites around us such as Pompeii, Oplonti and Herculaneum. I also learn of the International Tourism importance in Italy as well as other countries with an extremely rich history. Prior to this, I was not as extensively aware of just how much tourism impacts areas such as Sorrento. In Italian we learn important phrases, grammar and practice our talking skills to help us become capable of communicating with the locals in Sorrento.

 

The most influential piece of my experience is my hands on Communication Internship at the Hotel Mediterraneo Sorrento. At my internship I am able to jump into the real life day-to-day operations of the hotel while further developing my current skills. I am tasked with projects such as researching the hotel, it’s reviews and how the information is portrayed to help with other projects. I also help with the social media for the hotel as well as the Perfect Wedding in Sorrento pages on Facebook and Instagram (which I created as one of my projects). My time at the hotel is spent getting to know the friendly staff, working through the projects I was given or created, learning the importance of each job and further developing my personable skills even through the language barrier. This opportunity has been one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and I would recommend immersing in this way to any other study abroad student.

At Sant’Anna, my peers are from all over the United States. It is interesting to hear the stories of others experience, whether traveling experience or personal experience, each one of us has something that adds to the personality of the group. Being open to this experience helps in the development of friendships while abroad. I have found that finding friends who like to travel as much as I do was a very important piece for me. I have been able to travel to many different places in Italy as well as countries in Europe during these last few months. Study Abroad at Sorrento gives you the opportunity to spend your weeks in an amazing town, that is not to big but also not to small, while allowing you access to the rest of Europe.

 

My study abroad experience at Sant’Anna has forever impacted me for the better. I am grateful to all those who convinced me to take this opportunity and encourage those who may be thinking of coming abroad to seize the opportunity! More importantly, if you are looking for a place that is on the water, in Italy, has friendly individuals both in town and at the university and offers internships, Sant’Anna is the place for you!

 

Ciao! ~Victoria