Voices from Abroad: Diego Ciapetti

Madison, WI (USA), Exchange Program: University of Wisconsin Madison
Frankfurt (Germany), Bocconi for Europe: Deutsche Bank
Guangzhou (China), Exchange Program: Lingnan University
Madrid (Spain), Bocconi for Europe: Enel Group

What Being International Means to Me

One of the beauties of studying at Bocconi is that you can always set medium-term targets and then move forward to the next one. During my Bachelor studies at CLEF, the exchange program was probably the most important goal, but when it's time to choose the destination there are always too many uncertain variables: average out risk, accommodation, visa, costs, language, cultural barriers, and which continent, country and state? There is no right method to choose, but you must have a plan in your mind, because every experience we do permanently changes us, and we should know who we want to be. That's why I can just talk about my experiences, hoping that some ideas will someway help you. For example, in both the exchanges I did, the first clear selection has always been the country: US and then China, for my profound interest in discovering the most influential economies in the world. Once the country is decided, the selection of the University is a complicated mixture of desires to fit, for me the most important one was being together with my girlfriend, and I admit we were very lucky in always ending up in our first choices.

Diego cheering on the home team at Camp Randall Stadium

I am still missing a lot the college life in the huge UW-Madison campus, everything was just designed for student comfort, I had the chance to travel a lot, from California to New York, but coming back to the magic dimension of Wisconsin was always like coming back home. That's why arriving in the Linate terminal during a cold day of December was such a strange impact: feeling awkward for wearing the oversized red sweatershirts from the University store, with all the people speaking Italian around you... I realized the feeling of Americans coming in Europe, and the only thing in my mind was: "It can't be over, let's do it again!"

Travelling changes your perspectives, goals and ambitions, it helped me to think about my future with a global mindset. After starting the MSc in Finance I had no doubts about applying only for internship positions abroad, and at the same time I was selected for Bocconi for Europe program; I couldn't ask for more. The cool summer of Frankfurt was full of surprises for me: working in the Deutsche Bank headquarters and being constantly surrounded by strongly motivated people let me understand how such a complex organization everyday interacts with all sides of the world.

Guangzhou skyline, Canton Tower and Financial District

Coming to the most recent adventure, it's hard to explain in a few words the sensations of one semester spent in China: take every typical challenge of being abroad and set them to the next level, that's exactly what I was looking for! However, collecting international experiences itself is not the point, the real achievement is staying with local people as much as possible, trying to learn the language and going beyond what seems bizarre or too far away from our culture. It's amazing how fast you can get familiar with people or things which seem too strange at the first impact. What really matters is the personal attitude in embracing the challenges, make the uncomfortable comfortable, but never losing our roots and identity. In fact, living abroad also entails many bureaucratic and accommodation issues, or leaving the basic points of reference like friends and food. But this is part of the game, because every ship in port is safe, but it was not built with that purpose.

Now Madrid is waiting for me, for my second internship in Bocconi for Europe program. I am sure that also 2014 will be full of opportunities, and my luggage will always be heavier than when I arrived.