Author: Anna Miriani | Major: Accounting | Semester: Summer 2024

I had the most special opportunity to visit my great grandfather’s old home in Cuggiono, Italy.

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the past four weeks in the beautiful town of Paderno del Grappa, Italy, with the CIMBA Italy program. I have always dreamed of studying abroad in Italy, as I have a lot of family heritage from the northern region. While I always desired to travel and study in Europe, I wasn’t sure which program would be the best fit. I originally became interested in the CIMBA program through word of mouth—everyone raves about the professors there. When I went to the study abroad fair this fall and spoke with Molly Rapert, one of the wonderful faculty members with a long history at CIMBA, I immediately knew it was the right program for me. It offered a wide array of interesting and applicable classes, provided opportunities to take company tours and speak with local business owners, and it was in the most charming small town that offered a more relaxed experience than living in a big city.

I studied in Paderno from mid-May to mid-June 2024, which is the summer before my senior year. I took two condensed courses for six credit hours—International Marketing and The Global Consumer. As an accounting major, most of the courses I take are very numbers-focused and analytical, which I really enjoy. Adding a marketing minor, however, has allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone and explore a world of creative thinking. I absolutely loved these two courses. In International Marketing, Professor Sarah Grace taught us the importance of getting to know a consumer before going to market. We took a US brand of our choice and developed a four-stage plan to bring it to market internationally. I chose 7Brew, a “Fayetteville favorite” coffee/beverage drive thru. When imagining bringing the brand to Italy, I had to pinpoint the brand’s significance in the US and how I can tweak that to reach the Italian consumer. We also learned the importance of developing our own cultural intelligence and how we can use that in our future careers and everyday lives, both domestically and internationally. Professor Molly Rapert’s Global Consumer course sparked my interest and curiosity in international affairs. We learned about historical and contemporary China and its increasing influence around the world. We grasped how drastically economic and legal systems vary by country and how that affects international relations. Our class had the opportunity to tour manufacturing facilities, wineries, and museums, as well as speak to local business owners to see what it takes to run a small business in Italy.

I hiked up a mountain, and then I jumped off another one! Paragliding in Interlaken was easily one of the coolest things I have ever done.

CIMBA opened so many doors for me outside of the classroom as well. On the weekends, we were able to travel anywhere of our choice. Within a month, I visited Interlaken, Milan, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Naples, Capri, and Venice. I hiked up a mountain in Switzerland, and I paraglided off another one. I visited my great grandfather’s home near Milan and learned more about my ancestry. One of my favorite pieces CIMBA gave me was all the people I met along the way—CIMBA is full of the best staff and students. It is so unique for people from all over the world to come together in one place that we can all call home.

One special lesson that I learned while abroad is the importance of presence. On our first travel weekend, I found myself sitting in a restaurant atop a beautiful mountain in Switzerland, looking at train tickets for our trip to a local town the next day. After a few moments of distraction, I realized the terrible mistake I had made. I was sitting in quite literally the most beautiful place I had ever been, and I had my eyes glued to my phone. While planning is important, I can do that from anywhere. When again would I have the Swiss Alps in sight? From then on, I vowed to stay present and put less stress on all the details. While I am a planner at heart, my time abroad taught me that not everything needs to be planned out. Life has a funny way of figuring itself out. Rather than worrying about the details, it is key to look at the current moment and appreciate it—this is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I am so lucky to have taken this journey. I could not have done it without my grant, and for that I am eternally grateful.