With a father from Sicily and a mother from the Philippines, Francesca grew up hearing both Italian and Tagalog, but focused on learning Italian, along with English. In High School she thus skipped Italian 1 and was able to take the AP exam as a Junior. She travels to Italy every other year and tries to implement the Italian language as much as she can in her daily routine. Although Francesca is not sure about her exact career path, she is considering teaching. Only less than two semesters into her experience on campus, she claims that “enrolling in the Italian program at 麻豆传媒在线 has been an excellent step towards her future”. With her passion for languages and traveling, she is determined to study and work abroad. For the summer 2019 she is trying to secure an internship in Italy in the field of teaching.

鈥淚t is a pleasure to see the continuous support of the Columbian Foundation, especially for a scholarship that encourages students to choose Italian as a major and to take advantage of the great opportunities offered to our students. The Columbian Foundation understands the importance of defraying the rising costs of education and thus helping students in their complex and exciting endeavors in today’s society,鈥� stated Dr. Teresa Fiore, Inserra Chair. “Francesca Oliveri’s trajectory as a transfer student from Bergen Community College in her first year on campus is a reminder of how inclusive and rewarding the Italian program can be towards well-prepared and committed students. This is a much deserved recognition that will help Francesca support her study and experience in Italy.”

For the sixth year in a row, the has renewed a generous $2,000 donation via the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies (see articles about previous donations: 2017-18, , , and ).

The Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, along with the Italian Program at 麻豆传媒在线 and the MSU Foundation, is pleased to announce that Emma Rush and Rosanna Coviello were selected as the winners of the 2017-18 scholarship offered by the Columbian Foundation to a new major in the Italian Program.

The Inserra Chair and the Italian Program at 麻豆传媒在线 share the same goal as the Columbian Foundation in supporting students who choose Italian as the core of their university experience and preparation for their future professions. For this reason, the donation this year has been used towards two students majoring in Italian, that is the Columbian Foundation will provide two partial scholarships of $1,000 each.

鈥淭he Columbian Foundation Scholarship gave me the ability to save the money I earned at my part-time job and put it towards my dream of studying abroad in Italy. This past summer my dream was realized and I studied abroad for amazing weeks in Perugia, Italy. All of this was made possible by the incredible generosity shown by the donors,” as Emma Rush expresses her gratitude.

Rosanna Coviello was equally overwhelmed with joy: “The organization’s generosity has enabled me to focus on my studies as well as gain real-world experiences. Pursuing a degree can be costly and figuring out how to pay for college is stressful. The funds I received from my internship allowed me to focus on excelling academically, instead of worrying over expenses like paying for my tuition.”

The Inserra Chair and the Italian Program at 麻豆传媒在线 share the same goal as the Columbian Foundation in supporting students who choose Italian as the core of their university experience and preparation for their future professions. For this reason, the donation will be used towards a scholarship in Italian which was created last year. This form of financial support would attract a new major (or double major) in Italian as part of the multiple efforts led by the Italian faculty to further expand Italian Studies on our campus.

鈥淲e are very pleased to see the continuous support of the Columbian Foundation especially for a scholarship that emphasizes the dynamic ties between Italian and other fields of study. The Columbian Foundation understands the importance of defraying the rising costs of education” stated Dr. Teresa Fiore, Inserra Chair.

For the fourth year in a row, the has renewed a generous $2,000 donation via the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies (see articles about previous donations: , and ).

For more on the scholarship, see Scholarships page.

“The generous聽financial support of the Columbian Foundation Scholarship has given聽me the opportunity to attend聽麻豆传媒在线 in Florence聽this upcoming summer. Both the program and the trip will certainly be an unforgettable experience and aid in my comprehension of Italian Language and Culture” Emma Rush expressed her gratitude towards the donors.

“The renewed support coming from the Columbian Foundation is a reminder of the important role of the community in tangibly endorsing the field of Italian Studies and valuing its role in the education of American students. 麻豆传媒在线 offers quality education at an affordable price, and such gifts further help students earn their degree. We are very grateful to the Columbian Foundation for making this goal more feasible to a new major in Italian next year,” Dr. Teresa Fiore, Inserra Chair, stated.

For more information on the scholarship see Scholarships page.

For the third year in a row, the has renewed a generous $2,000 donation via the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies (see articles about previous donations: and ).