Italian minor and international business major Teodora Costea has been hired by former UW Italian major Ari Manzin of Bianco-Rosso Imports. Her part-time job as an administrative assistant allows her to use her skills gained as a business student, and the company's Italian ties are a definite perk. She is very interested in working abroad in the future and hopes that her combination of studies will open diverse career doors. "I chose business because I thought I would be able to go into a variety of different fields with it as my foundation, but I chose to minor in Italian because I think the value of knowing another language transcends the obvious; the cultural sensitivity you acquire, the global perspective you gain, and the people you meet through a language course are all additional bonuses," she said.
Teodora first heard about the position at Bianco-Rosso from Italian advisor Sabrina Tatta, and she emphasizes the importance of consulting the many resources that a department's faculty offers. "While working with Ms. Tatta for the past year, I've felt like I'm part of a much smaller community, which can be hard to come by at the UW," she said. "I really encourage students to make the most of their meetings with their advisors, and constantly apply for positions that interest them." Another great place to network is among the University's alumni. "I think students underestimate how much UW alums are looking to give back to their community," Teodora said, citing the interpersonal relationships that Mr. Manzin's local company values, that "are sometimes lost in large companies."
Although she has not yet had many opportunities to practice her Italian at Bianco-Rosso ("unless you count reading the labels on some of the wine bottles"), Teodora does hope to work in Italy one day and "try to live la dolce vita."