Micromuseums and Music Festivals
A look at Italy Summer Internships
When a student needs a summer internship, there are numerous factors that they are considering when choosing where to intern, what to focus on, and the type of experience they are hoping to get. Living and Learning provides custom internship placements around the city of Rome so that students can dive into culture, experience professional growth, and be supported by their peers and staff in Christian community living.
To learn more about summer internships with Living and Learning in Italy, click here!
Take a look into the experience of Jinamai Joseph’s internship this summer!
Jinamai Joseph is a student at Southeastern University studying Accounting with a minor in Data Analytics and Information Systems. For eight weeks, Jinamai got to live in a neighborhood of Rome called Pigneto and intern with People's University of Torpignattara. In her role, she focused on marketing the Torpignattara neighborhood, encouraging visitors and tourists to experience more than just the recognizable Centro Storico (historic downtown of Rome) and dive deeper into the rich culture that exists throughout the city in areas like Torpignattara.
Jinamai got to do exactly what she was learning to market and share about – explore the historical, cultural, and interesting sites of Torpignattara and turn her explorations into content for her internship assignment. During her time, she attended neighborhood festivals like the Festa di Circo Principessa and the Certo Festival.
Expectation vs. Reality
Before getting started, Jinamai thought her internship might focus on accounting, but as she dove into the realities of her role, she began to deeply value learning about the neighborhood’s culture, acquiring new skills like web page development, content creation, and interacting with and learning from her supportive supervisor.
“The flexibility of the internship allowed me to start early in the morning, travel some weekends, and still complete my tasks, which was a significant advantage … One of my favorite experiences was visiting the Ecomuseum of Urban Art on Migration, which tells the story of migration in Rome, both past and present. This museum gave me a deeper understanding of Torpignattara’s current multicultural neighborhood.”
Ecomuseum of Urban Art on Migration
Outdoor live Certo Festival
Among other sites and events, Jinamai said she gained so much from her visits to the Ecomuseum of Urban Art of Migration and the Certo Festival live festival! For Jinamai, she said some of the rich benefits of her experience came through interactions with locals in the neighborhood. She photographed and chatted with university students and connected with a Senegalese food truck owner at a neighborhood festival.
Jinamai sat in the chair of a local hair salon, and while she had her hair braided, the owners, a family from Sierra Leone, told her stories about life in Italy.
“Professionally, the internship helped me gain confidence in taking pictures of crowds and communicating with people using my limited Italian skills. This experience strengthened my independence as I navigated the unfamiliar neighborhood to complete my [internship] tasks.”
During those eight weeks, Jinamai did not have a traditional office job, and she said it turned out to be exactly what she needed for her professional growth.
Spending a summer abroad for an internship like this one in Rome does more than expose students to new professional skills. It gives them the opportunity to engage deeply and glean a broader perspective on local history and culture. Did Jinamai gain practical skills in marketing and the confidence to engage with new people from a culture different than her own? Absolutely.
From all of this, she said that she had a transformative experience through her summer internship that contributed to the shaping of her personal, professional, and spiritual growth.
Want to learn more about international summer internships with Living & Learning? Visit our website to discover the possibilities!