Information Systems Internships in Italy

For my internship I was placed with Nazario Fania, a beekeeper and sole proprietor of his own business and tasked with assisting in social media strategy and other marketing analysis to add to his existing tactics. He had endless knowledge from his past in journalism and communications to teach me on top of enlightening me about beekeeping in the greater scheme of agriculture in the south of Italy—Molise, a region that even the Italians claim does not exist. Outside of that, my host family was super welcoming and introduced me to the entire town, took me on excursions to experience more local culture, and were my biggest supporters. I keep in touch with everyone to this day, and recently took my parents abroad for the first time to meet everyone.

I had such a wonderful time studying abroad and grew immensely through the experience. Living with a host family and pursuing an internship allowed me fully immerse myself in a new community and the intercultural citizenship education I did throughout the experience helped me understand and appreciate both a new culture and my own back home through a new perspective.

I had the pleasure of attending Molise Italian Studies in the fall of 2023. I was placed with a local family who owned a truffle business, Di Iorio Tartufi. I had the opportunity to lead tours for international visitors to the farm, go truffle hunting with some adorable puppies, and prepare and eat 4-course meals made with freshly hunted truffles. What stands out about MIS, compared to other abroad opportunities, is that it is supported by cultural awareness and sensitivity. The classes I took during the semester centered around global citizenship and cultural awareness. As I currently study to become a mental health therapist, I often draw from the cultural competency MIS taught me in order to become a culturally competent mental health professional. Although studying abroad in Molise sometimes felt isolating due to its more rural setting, it taught me to find comfort in uncomfortable situations; a lesson that has stayed with me long after my study abroad ended. Through the weekly or biweekly excursions provided by MIS, I explored a side of Italy I would have likely never seen as a tourist. I gained a deep appreciation for the beauty of the Italian countryside, its unique cultural heritage, and the serendipitous encounters you have while traveling off the beaten path. I also had lots of opportunities to explore major cities in Italy, including Rome, Florence, and Naples. MIS helped to reshape my notions of what school could look like when curiosity and exploration are the learning objectives rather than rigid performance metrics. It empowered me to be a lifelong learner and global citizen.

I had the pleasure of attending Molise Italian Studies in Fall of 2023. I was placed with a local family who owned a truffle business, Di Iorio Tartufi. I had the opportunity of leading tours for international visitors to the farm, truffle hunting with some adorable puppies and preparing and eating 4 course meals made with freshly hunted truffles. What stands out about MIS as opposed to other abroad opportunities is that it provided a fully culturally immersive experience, that was supported by cultural awareness and sensitivity. The classes I took during the semester centered around global citizenship and cultural awareness. As I currently study to become a mental health therapist I often draw from the cultural competency MIS taught me in order to become a culturally competent mental health professional. Although study abroad in Molise sometimes felt isolating due to its more rural setting it provided me the confidence to seek discomfort long as as a form of growth long after my semester abroad ended. Through the weekly or biweekly excursions provided by MIS i was able to explore a side of Italy I would have likely never seen as a tourist. I gained a deep appreciation for the beauty of the italian countryside, it’s unique cultural heritage and the serendipitous encounters you have while traveling off the beaten path. I also had lots of opportunities to explore major cities in Italy including Rome, Florence and Naples. MIS helped to reshape my prior notions of what school could look like when curiosity and exploration are the learning objectives rather than rigid performance metrics. It empowered me to be a life-long learner and global citizen.

What started off as a desire for change turned out to be the most unforgettable time of my life. I sent in an application expecting the usual response delays I had experienced through the many intern abroad programs I had combed through but was happily surprised when Nicole was patient and kind, communicating often how available she was be it through video calls or email to sooth my anxieties. She helped me sort through my options and even when I had settled on an internship in Scotland, she kept searching and found me one most suitable for me: London. I sound like a broken record but it was truly life-changing. I had support throughout; Nicole with her check-ins to make sure I was settling in, my manager Ammu who was my rock and the best boss I have had the pleasure of working with and interns from another program who made my experience what it was. Walking to my train every morning felt purposeful and fun: I felt like a mini adult carving out a life for myself in this big city. I was excited to pop into my local Tesco and learn more about my roommates who invited me out every weekend; from window-shopping in the streets of Westminster to intimate dinners in a Fitzrovia neighborhood. At work, I was challenged! I learned how to interview, I was given responsibility over the intern team (again, the best people) and there wasn't a moment I felt afraid to be inquisitive or express my insecurities about the job. Every week was a new adventure and a new way to grow. I remember our manager had an idea for a viral tiktok and all 8 interns stood outside the work building searching for incoming buses, lingering close to where they'd park with a straight face, then burst into fits of laughter because of how unpredictable our work was! The train rides were honestly one of my highlights. The place I moved into after a month in London was 5 minutes from Canary Wharf so a quick 9 minute walk from my apartment to the train station looked like putting my headphones on while I admired the scenic waters of Canning Town before starting the day. London has an awesome transportation system so if you missed one train, best believe another one was coming a minute or two later (5 at most!). I travelled to Nottingham on the weekend and had a blast, and was surrounded by a great group of people. My landlord was the nicest and so was my housemate from both of my living situations, I had a wonderful time getting to know full-time staff through a get-together my manager organized and to this day, most of those people I am still in contact with. Shoutout Tina, Alicia, Stuart, Kate, Krystal, Nicholas, Catherine, Gayathri, Kamini, Shelby, Claire and Nate! Another to Nicole, Ammu, Ben, John and Georgeena for their continued support. I was lucky in that the issues I faced weren't program related, but I'll admit a travel kit of sites to see would have been nice! I was given housing recommendations as well though a person of support to regularly communicate with on residence issues I faced would be of great help as well. If the thought of study/intern abroad even occurs, run with it. The job experience was invaluable, the beautiful cultures I interacted with - from India to USA - have stayed with me and the memories linger in the "I miss you" messages shared amongst the intern group. Living away from home can be daunting, but you won't regret it for a second. I miss it and appreciate the opportunity beyond comprehension.

After being ghosted multiple times by the employer I was originally matched with, I was placed with C.R.E.T.A Rome, a ceramics studio and artist residency studio. I am a graphic design major and was tasked with designing two catalogues for the upcoming shows of one of the studio's owners, a magnificent ceramicist. I worked in person 20 hours a week and 10-15 hours remote per week and this has been a very rewarding experience. The placement was perfect and I'm very grateful.

Trip was great, would definitely recommend other people to travel to Rotterdam. Both our country coordinators were great. They were responsive and showed us around the city. I liked our housing situation too, as it was in a great part of the city.

I had such an amazing time doing an internship in Rotterdam for three weeks this summer! Going abroad was an amazing experience and getting to experience it with the help of two amazing guides from WeFind group made it so special!

My time in rotterdam was truly amazing. I got to explore so many different cities surrounding rotterdam, as well as take the full beauty of rotterdam itself. We find group was amazing and provided two students that lived in the area that we were staying, and they showed us around and immediately welcomed us into the city. The relationships we formed with the students was truly amazing and they will forever now be our friends. Carlota was amazing through we find group. She was always very prompt with her responses and was always supporting us throughout the process. She went above and beyond to provide us materials to enhance our project delivery.

My trip to Rotterdam is one I will never forget!! I was placed at an amazing company where I learned a lot and had great experiences. My time outside of work was amazing, I had the best in-country coordinators that made sure we were always safe and having a great time.

I had an awesome time in Spain. Not only was the size of the group perfect, but any time we had any questions, our host would be very responsive. The work itself was great, as we got experience working on real problems that these companies have.

I had an amazing trip with so many new memories and friends! Blanca was absolutely amazing and so helpful. Madrid was gorgeous and would love to go back. My internship was not the best experience but those feelings have been brought up.

I enjoyed very much the city of Madrid. Blanca and Cata did amazing in helping us learn the city, and they are awesome people! I met Carlota once during my presentation, and she was very nice and helpful! The location of Fuencarral was not the best because it was far from most places in the city, and there is not very much around the area. I was also upset with the disrespectful attitude of my boss at BIP. But on the other hand, multiple other workers at BIP were very nice and made the workplace environment so much better!

These past 3 weeks have been an amazing experience for me! Blanca Cata Carlotta and Paula made my travel and time so much easier and fun! I will definitely miss it. I do wish the accommodation was closer to the city area as getting food was hard. Other than that 10/10 for everything else!

This program was genuinely an incredible learning experience and so much fun. Our country coordinators made the experience even more memorable by helping us learn how to navigate the city and introducing us to some of the best local places to visit. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this program—it was truly one of the best experiences of my life!

I could’ve of asked for a better experience abroad. I felt supported and safe while getting a valuable work experience out of it. Mathilde and Marina were great guides that introduced our group to the city and had great recommendations. This really was a great opportunity I’m grateful for.

I had such a great time in Vienna, Austria. Our in country providers, Valentina and Alex, were fantastic and always willing and able to help when we needed it. The work experience was a very valuable introduction into consulting, and the place of stay was a convenient location by the train station.

micampus location was definitely the only thing that made this experience not exceptional. It was frustrating to not be able to be immersed in madrids city life compared to other fisher global programs. Although it was nice. CBRE was a great company and opportunity. Blanca did a great job as well.

I had a fantastic experience in Madrid. I was able to learn so much about the culture of Spain and see so many beautiful places. Blanca did a fantastic job of guiding the group and helping us all enjoy our time here. I enjoyed my company placement as well and was able to learn a lot

I loved the placement of the company but wished their was more mentorship and more health of an environment. The location of the campus was convenient, though at time we wished we were closer to the city.