I threw my graduation cap in the air with the Class of 2016 in Villa Aurelia on the bright afternoon of May the 16th. Without completely realizing it that day, I completed the first, massive task of adult life graduating in International affairs with a minor in Economics and Finance. Afterward, I enrolled in a Master’s degree in International Security Studies, studying the various disciplinary approaches to security in Pisa, Trento, and Paris. While in Paris, I was selected by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for an internship at the Italian Mission to the OECD.
Nowadays, I spend my days in Florence, working in industrial marketing at Baker Hues, a GE Company. Industrial marketing at GE is stimulating: I analyze market trends for the industrial sector with many colleagues from around the world and conduct research and development on the future of hydrogen in the market of power generation. As for almost every young worker in Italy these days, life is challenging, but I feel very good with the track I'm on.
Now that I can look back and reconnect the dots, I realize that my bachelor’s degree at John Cabot has been the first "maverick" choice that made me who I am today. Coming from a Liceo Scientifico (a high school specialized in the sciences), I was expected to study medicine or engineering. Yet I did not see myself wearing a doctor’s scrub, nor an engineer’s safety helmet. By chance, I found John Cabot University’s name on a blue and white poster while strolling around Rome. I applied to the Bachelor's degree program in International Affairs, I won a partial scholarship, and I enrolled at JCU.
That decision paid off immediately. I found myself in an academic track I could tailor to my needs and interests, and I managed to study all the disciplines that I most loved, from philosophy and economics, to history and global politics. With the small classes, we were granted real interaction between students and professors, and, most of all, were taught by English native speakers. Students were also stimulated to start their own ideas outside courses by subscribing to student societies. I co-founded the Philosophy Club, worked part-time in the Mathematics Tutoring Lab and managed to go around the world with John Cabot’s Model United Nations Society.
The many experiences I had and the bonds I have made at JCU have been an endowment for my future. The multi-disciplinary background and strong knowledge of English made me pursue my master’s studies in very good schools and still helps me daily with my job, where I must clearly communicate with international colleagues, write intelligible reports and business cases in English. I have made friends with students and professors who still inspire me today to expand my knowledge and question everything. Being a John Cabot nostalgic, I cannot but recommend this experience to all the stray lovers of humanities, languages and cultures who feel that choosing only one subject is belittling.
Davide Orsitto
Class of 2016
Major in International Affairs, minor in Economics & Finance
Hometown: Rome