A love for Italian can take you many places, but for three BYU student interns, it was the pathway to unmatched professional development.
Many people dream of traveling to Italy to see historical sites like the Colosseum or the Leaning Tower of Pisa and to feast on irresistible, mouth-watering pastas and pizzas. But when in Rome, three BYU students took their Italian experiences beyond simple touring. Instead, they immersed themselves in Italy’s professional environment, learning lessons in their internships that would enhance their language skills, professional competencies, and life perspectives.
COMMUNICATIONS AND COOKS
Giulla Conceiçao (Journalism, Italian ’27) unwittingly began her journey abroad when she took a random Italian course at BYU to fill up some extra space in her class schedule. Finding a passion for the language, she decided to pursue an internship at a company called InRome Cooking, where she could practice her language skills in a professional environment that matched her career aspirations.
“I was a digital marketing assistant,” Conceiçao says, “so I helped with their website, worked on some newsletters, and helped with communication between the company and their partners and guests.” Although most of her coworkers in the marketing department spoke English, Conceiçao was adamant that they spoke with her in Italian so she could improve her language skills.
Many aspects of living in Rome taught Conceiçao to be more assertive, like the challenge of getting on crowded buses each day. “I knew that if I didn’t push my way in, I wasn’t going to get anywhere,” Conceiçao says. She saw this as a lesson for life. “Living in Rome made me realize how wonderful our gift of agency is. Sometimes you just gotta push your way in and make sure that you get onto that bus, make sure you get to where you want to be.”
A LAWYER IN THE MAKING
That same grit and perseverance helped Tori Mask (Latin American Studies ’26) get the most out of her internship at Barberio Law. An aspiring immigration lawyer, Mask spent her days working in Italian legal language and shadowing a lawyer at the firm. She sat in on hearings, drafted appeals in Italian, and wrote articles about cases that had formed new precedents.
She also participated in research involving complicated immigration cases, which allowed her to meet people from all over the world and learn more about the geopolitics of Europe and Africa. She says, “It was just really eye-opening for me to have my perspective of the world expanded and to gain competencies in the legal field as well as to better my Italian.”
Mask learned a lot from her mentor in Rome. She had participated in other internships in the United States but says that this opportunity “was just much more personal, much more impactful, and much more immersive.” Although Mask felt her language skills sometimes lagged behind, her mentor met her where she was at. “It was a good combination of not doubting me and also not expecting too much of me and letting me drive the experience to get what I wanted for my professional development,” she says.
NURTURING SMILES
Like Mask, Davis Alcorn (Exercise Science ’28) was enthusiastic about the training opportunities offered abroad. It was a privilege for him to return to Italy after his missionary service in Milan to offer a new kind of service—this time related to his professional goals. Training at a nonprofit dental clinic helping refugees in Rome, Alcorn was able to get hands-on experience as a dental assistant that he wouldn’t have been able to get in America.
He worked with other volunteer dentists, doctors, and graduate students at the clinic and practiced speaking Italian daily. “Learning all the Italian dental terminology,” he says, “was something I never would have learned in a different way.” Alcorn also valued his experience working with refugees, which, he says, “opened my eyes to just how real their situation is and how hard life can be for them.”
RECOMMENDING ROME
Reflecting on the unique professional opportunities offered during the Rome internships, Mask says that “the experience was super impactful and is something that I’m really grateful for.” Alcorn shared a similar sentiment, saying, “I’m so glad I did it.” Even Conceiçao, who at first had doubts about whether or not she’d be able to participate, now encourages all students to take the opportunity to learn abroad. She says, “If you have a desire to go on a study abroad or internship, stick your foot through the door and say, ‘I’m going to do it, and I don’t know how I’m going to get there, but it’s going to happen.’ And I just know that God will provide because it happened to me.”
Learn more about international internships on the David M. Kennedy Center website.