Hello everyone! My name is Nicole and I am a Marketing major at John Cabot University. Last summer I had the chance to start interning at the Marketing Department of CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee). There, I started collaborating with the project manager of an international tennis event called Next Gen ATP Finals.

This event, promoted in collaboration with the Italian Tennis Federation and the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), has given me the opportunity to apply what I have learned about marketing and communications at JCU during my undergraduate years to the “real” world, and, even more importantly to me, to the sports world.

Someone might ask how I ended up at CONI: I obtained this position after sending my resume to the HR office; after a couple of months, I was called for an interview. The HR Director asked me about my academic choice and the reason why I decided to study at an American university in Rome instead of choosing an Italian university. I told her that JCU was the best option for my future: I wanted to learn a new language and be included in a very diverse community. This is what JCU is about for me: academics, clubs, sport teams, but more than anything, diversity and how to embrace it in today’s world.

I also spoke about my study abroad experience in Miami, which was made possible by John Cabot University’s Direct Exchange Program, and the various internships I had before applying to their position. The director was impressed by my experiences, and this was a big part of why she then recommended me for the internship with the Marketing Department.

There, some of the basic assignments I was required to complete at first were registering and managing files, creating and designing presentations, and translating documents from Italian to English. Then, I had the chance to start managing business relationships with partner companies, federations, and associations as well as identifying and researching prospective partner companies and performing market research. What I learned at John Cabot and at the University of Miami was instrumental in helping me handle the duties I have at my current position.

I believe it is fundamental to understand how important choosing a good university is in life because it affects everything that comes next; not just in terms of academics, but in terms of building a career. Because of this, I am positive I can say that JCU was in fact the best choice I could have made: it helped me achieve both my personal and academic goals, giving me some of the greatest memories of my life.