Student Spotlight: Virginia Tartabini - A Double Degree, a Summer Internship at the U.S. Embassy: a Busy Life at JCU

Hello! My name is Virginia and I have just finished my first year at John Cabot University, where I study International Affairs.  If I had to describe this first year I would use the word “frenzy,” an inclusive and constructive frenzy that engages everyone and leaves no one behind. It is precisely this environment that encouraged me to decide to do a double degree in Economics and Finance in addition to International Affairs, and to make the most of all the great opportunities that JCU offers.

This is why one evening, as I was looking through the many emails that I receive from the University, I found one from the Career Services Center that announced a six-month internship opening at the American Embassy in Rome. At that moment I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was the middle of the night and I realized I had only two days in which to prepare my resume and cover letter, but it was also an opportunity to apply for a position in one of the most prestigious places I could imagine and that I had always dreamed of.  I left all emotions aside and got to work. The same day I had my job interview, I received a call telling me I had been accepted to work at the Embassy’s Shipping Unit.  I was very happy!

This happiness gets fueled every day as I cross the sumptuous gates of the Embassy, display my Embassy card to the security guards and admire the historic buildings that house my office. I have been working for a month and from the very first day I was given quite a bit of responsibility and a lot of independent work. I am amazed at all that I am learning. I liaise with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask for deductibles, I contact shipping companies on all kinds of issues, I am in touch with diplomats who are arriving and leaving Rome.  It’s a great experience for a 19-year-old like me who is eager to try out different kinds of jobs and understand what I really like.

Thanks to JCU I have been able to combine work and academics and it has made a dream come true. I am sure it will continue doing so.