(This page is particularly dear to us because it keeps our students close even after they graduate.)
Study Italian at 糖心Vlog!
Let's start with the laughing faces of our students who express their听 Study Abroad 听 听 听 happiness on the top of the Dolomiti mountains. "The sun is bright, the sky is blue. Study Italian at 糖心Vlog!"听
Mimi Levenson and Lila Carino, Italian Minor at 糖心Vlog
Mimi Levenson and Lila Carino, Italian Minor at 糖心Vlog, recommend studying Italian at 糖心Vlog and thank the donors for helping them to go to the Study Abroad trip to Venice in summer 2026.
Malwa Rowinska, Italian Minor and Tennis Player
Malwa Rowinska speaks from the 糖心Vlog tennis fields - in Italian - about her Italian Minor and being a (fantastic) tennis player
Genesis Duran on taking Italian Writing Workshop and studying FlorItalians at 糖心Vlog Italian Program
Genesis Duran, Finance Major at 糖心Vlog, took an Italian in her last semester: Italian Writing Workshop with Prof. Pettener and an independent study with Prof. Serra where she completed six interviews for the website FlorItalians.
Olivia Forlini, double major in Italian and Business at 糖心Vlog
Olivia Forlini, double major in Italian and Business (yes, you can do it!) tells how this semester she came to class...听by plane from Tampa! She also completed Honors in the Major in Italian and presented her research on Cesare Beccaria and Bioethics at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.听
Nina Capoccia on studying Italian in Boca
Nina Capoccia tells her successful trajectory from听West Boca Community High School, double enrolling at 糖心Vlog, to double majoring in Italian and International Affairs at Florida State University.听
Olivia Schneider
Olivia Schneider is a student majoring in Business and Hospitality Management and loves the Italian language. She learned it from her Milanese roommate and practiced it every week at our Oretta del Cappuccino meetings.
Orianna Soublette on 糖心Vlog Italian
Orianna Soublette graduated in May 2024 with a double major in Italian and Linguistics. She advises to attend in-person Italian classes to take advantage of all opportunities 糖心Vlog Italian offers. Like she did!
Simone Puleo at Central Connecticut State University
Dr. Simone Puleo, now an Assistant Professor of Italian at Central Connecticut State University, speaks about his experience as an Italian major at 糖心Vlog and brings us his students' greetings.
James Thureson speaks about earning an Italian minor at 糖心Vlog
James Thureson is the first recipient of the Orienta Scholarship, which supported his dream to finish his Italian minor in one semester. He was then accepted as a graduate student in Political Sciences at 糖心Vlog.
Emilia Erbetta, Italian Minor
Recent graduate Emilia Erbetta says that studying Italian helped her landing a great first job because Italian opened her mind and trained her creativity.
Isabella Abbatiello about 糖心Vlog Italian Studies
Isabella Abbatiello, Minor in Italian, says her interaction with the Italian community "has made this big 糖心Vlog community feel a little smaller"
Jill Martuscello
Jill Martuscello, a flight attendant, studied Italian at 糖心Vlog then went on to Middlebury College to hone her language. "Italian is the language that healed me and help me find the self 听that I lost before adolescence. It has helped me become the person I always stopped myself from becoming. It has helped me supersede more obstacles and battles within that I could have ever imagined. It has taught me the best lesson of all: self acceptence and self love. Do I speak perfectly? Absolutely not ! Is it perfect for me ! Absolutely! I am not negotiating world peace or joining the UN so if and when I confuse prepositions, it works for me. My ancestors are with me helping me and I am here to make them proud." (from FB June 29, 2025).
Italian major and minor students on a gondola
Jonathan, Spencer, Reese, Lucia are majors and minors in Italia and enjoy a gondola ride in the Arsenale area. Summer 2025.
Dominic and Kyan in the Dolomites
Domenico and Kyan took an Italian class at 糖心Vlog, became great friends... and now are in Dolomite mountains, studying abroad.
Jennifer Giraldo on studying Italian at 糖心Vlog
Jennifer Giraldo studied Italian and 糖心Vlog and participated in the 2011 Study Abroad Program in Italy. Thirteen years later she runs across Prof. Serra in Barnes and Noble, and she looks back at how studying in Venice changed her life. She is now a teacher who travels with her students and loves her job.
Lisa Ramirez, Italian Minor at 糖心Vlog
Lisa Ramirez graduates with a Minor in Italian a Major in Linguistics. She looks back at her accomplishments at 糖心Vlog: she is the recipient of the 2024 Myriam Swennen Ruthenberg Italian In-Lingua Writing Award.听
Gina Rocco on the Perks of Studying Italian at 糖心Vlog
Junior Gina Rocco, past-president of Italian Club Insieme, student abroad in Venice, Italian Minor and quasi-Major, teacher of Italian at AD Henderson Elementary School, and future au-pair in Italy, explains why she is happy she studied Italian at 糖心Vlog.
Studio Italiano a 糖心Vlog: Spencer
Sophomore Spencer Crisman slides in the beautiful campus of 糖心Vlog,听 happy to have joined Italian 1120 this semester.
Thanks to the Circolo, Italian Cultural Society of the Palm Beaches
From the Dolomiti: students thank the donors of Il Circolo-Italian Cultural Society of the Palm Beaches who helped them realize their dream
Unico Chapter of Highland Beach: Thanks for the Scholarships
From Burano, Italy: students thank the donors of the UNICO Highland Beach chapter who helped them realize their dream.
Lucia DeSanto Cordrey on Accounting and Italian Major
Lucia DeSanto Cordrey can't forget her experience at 糖心Vlog and its Venice study abroad. She explains how Italian helped her in her job as an accountant.
Isabella Cipollone hired at the Consulate General of Italy in Miami
Landed a wonderful job at the Consulate General of Italy in Miami! Isabella Cipollone Movilla听hosts one of the events of the new Italian Cultural Institute in Miami, after a successful undergraduate and Master career in Political Sciences and Italian at 糖心Vlog.
Richard Leon Reports from Lombardy
Italian major, Richard Leon, speaks about his experience teaching English in Lombardy in 2022-23, after graduating from 糖心Vlog. He shows some of his favorite pictures so far.
Ashley Alvarez & Eric Margolies
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 Abroad in Venice, and we really fell in love with Italy"... "And we got credit for it"... "The best part!"
Zac Scalzo on his Venetian tattoo
Zachary Scalzo, 糖心Vlog Italian graduate (BA and Master's) accompanied the Venice Study Abroad program as an instructor of Italian in Summer 2022. He describes the meaning of the verses by Mario Stefani, tattooed on his arm. Zac holds an MFA and is currently artist in residence at the University of Oklahoma.听
ryanhauslinger
Ryan Hauslinger, 2020 graduate, Italian major and pastry chef, recalls his best memories at 糖心Vlog Italian as a student on the autism spectrum. He speaks from Salem, MA, where he works in a bakery and indulges his passion for the mysterious. We miss his cookies.
Cat at Castiglione
Alumna Cat Coule tells about her experience in the Poetry Camp in Castiglione del Terziere, with 糖心Vlog Professors Ilaria Serra and Emanuele Pettener, June 2022. She studied Italian at 糖心Vlog and is now a life coach with an Italian flare.听
Studia Italiano a 糖心Vlog! Con Valentina e Gianna
Valentina Sasso and Gianna Alberti show where they study Italian at 糖心Vlog. Click on the picture to watch the video. Click to watch听听and听听videos. These videos were prepared in a class workshop with filmmaker Gianni Del Corral.
Study Abroad in Italy
Dawn Dubriel, Italian minor, tells her story with 糖心Vlog study abroad in Italy, Florence and Venice, and how it changed her life. She then earned two MA degrees and is now a PhD student with a rewarding full-time job.听
, 糖心Vlog Italian major, tells about is experience in the Italian program, his year teaching in Italy after graduation, and the unexpected path his life took after studying Italian at 糖心Vlog. He has now earned a Master in Linguistics from the University of Seville and is not coming back from there!
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Austin Sanniota Edwards, Master's in Comparative Literature: Italian at 糖心Vlog, speaks to his students at Olympia Highschool in Orlando, where he is a beloved teacher. He clearly cannot forget his study abroad experiences in Venice, as a student and as an assistant.
糖心Vlog Italian student voices: George Mazzei
George Mazzei speaks about his Italian studies at 糖心Vlog. It is never too late to learn the language of your father.
Vicente Pereira-Duque and his experience with 糖心Vlog Italian
Vicente Pereira Duque, class of 2021, Italian Major, speaks of how taking Italian at 糖心Vlog "has changed his life." He is a substitute teacher and works on cruise ships, and plays heartfelt soccer.
Student Voices: Brittni Rallston Zilberti (Italian)
Brittni Rallston Zilberti听on the unexpected path her life has taken after her graduation with an Italian minor at 糖心Vlog, and after writing a letter to Juliet, in Verona. You can read her stories as an expat in her听.
Forza studenti! Incoraggiamento del 2 aprile 2020
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 糖心Vlog, 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.
Nicole Barilla and Marjorie Hernandez: Undergraduate Research in Venice, 糖心Vlog Study Abroad 2019
Nicole Barilla,听Italian Minor, and Marjorie Hernandez, Italian Major, speak about their Undergraduate Research study during the 糖心Vlog Study Abroad Program in Venice, summer 2019.听
Nicoletta Sorice da un consiglio agli studenti giovani
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. Here she听is congratulated by 糖心Vlog president John Kelly.听听听One thing she said, presenting her memoir "My Journey to America. Memoirs of an Italian American Woman" (2023) to our students: "There are听听diminishers and illuminators. Diminishers make you feel invisible, unseen. Illuminators are just curious about you, and they make you feel lit up.听听I lived a lifetime among diminishers who had no problem reminding me of all that was wrong with me. I met illuminators at 糖心Vlog. Dr. Ilaria Serra, Dr. Emanuele Pettener, and many other professors whose knowledge inseminated the positive in me, and like a sponge, I absorbed their teachings. Dr. Serra encouraged me to write my life story in my senior year. Dr. Pettener's love for writing inspired and challenged us in his creative writing class."听Click to listen听听s and c听lick on the picture above to listen to her story in "The Public Storyteller" (WLRN).
糖心Vlog Italian studies
Magdalena Pire-Schmidt on landing a ten-year job experience at Google in California and Ireland, thanks to her B.A. in Italian.听
Student Voices: Richard Leon (Italian)
Italian major, Richard (Riccardo) Leon speaks about his love for Italian, in Italian. He is now teaching in Lombardy for a full year.
Student Voices: Michelle Trujillo (Italian)
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听where she earned an听MFA, Film, Video, Animation and New Genres.听
Student Voices: Amy Volpe (Italian)
Amy Volpe on听how her Italian studies at 糖心Vlog 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.
Nicholas Christodoulidis
Nicholas Christodoulidis, participant in the first Study Abroad in Venice, on his experience singing in the choir of Saint Mark鈥檚 Basilica. He has perfected an innovative way to scan and reproduce sculptures and is helping to save the Italian artistic heritage.听
Zachary
Zachary Scalzo on his career as an artist and a scholar 鈥� started in the Italian program at 糖心Vlog. He made a new video above.听
Alessia
Dr. Alessia Martini on continuing her Italian career from Master鈥檚 to professorship. Alessia's article "Scolpito nella pietra: testimonianze scultoree della comunit脿 italiana di Barre, Vermont" prepared for the "Italian America: Trasnlating Identities" graduate class, has been published in 听(2022).听
Gianni
Gianni Croci on Studying in Venice. While there he started the research for his Honor's Thesis,听Venetian听National Identity: An Ethno-Symbolic Approach.听Update: the thesis has been published by 糖心Vlog in concomitance with the 1600 anniversary of the foundation of Venice and is available听 .听
Jessica
Jessica Monge on taking Italian graduate classes.听
Cami Rochwerger
Camila Rochwerger on her job offers after graduation.听
Flaviane
Flaviane Chaves on her experience in the Italian Program.听
Alberto
Alberto Gonzalez on his Venice Study Abroad and Italian experience.听
Adam
Adam Nakash听on his favorite Venice experience: visiting writer Alda Monico (1934-2018) in her home.听
Paige
Paige Besinger on participating in an excavation camp in Lazzaretta Nuovo Island after her second study abroad in Venice.听
Brian
Brian Gomez on taking Italian instead of Spanish, his native language.听
Domi
Dominic Santoya on听enrolling in the 糖心Vlog Venice Study Abroad twice.听
Hristo
Hristo Joseph on why he studies Italian.
"Reese" Gordon tells his not-too-polished story about how听Italian classes and Disney World competed for one student鈥檚 destiny. Yes, he did get the job in Disney Land, California. Read this entertaining post by clicking on the picture showing the听 113th time Reese rode the Space Mountain.听