New Italian Students at SNC

Sabrina Lorenzetti
The Eagle’s Eye | SNC Student Newspaper

The new semester has begun and there are a lot of new faces on campus, including 14 new Italian students. These new additions bring the Italian student population at Sierra Nevada College to 34.

The first batch of Italian students arrived in the fall on scholarships after their university in L’Aquila, Italy, was destroyed in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake last April. SNC Vice President for Development Madylon Meiling worked closely with the National Italian American Foundation, which led a campaign to relocate Italian students, and spearheaded the fundraising of scholarships for the students.

Meiling’s aim is to continue the exchange programs and bring students to SNC until the University of L’Aquila is rebuilt, and after as well. She hopes that SNC students can spend time in Italy and students from Italy can come to SNC.

“We are raising the money through donations from people we knew from the National Italian American Foundation and through Edoardo Ventresca, a very well connected person who is approaching Italian-Americans celebrities and business leaders asking them for support,” said Meiling.

Sierra Nevada College has even created a link specifically for Italians on the college’s Web site to help the students fill out the application for admission. The link will be useful for all the students who plan to come from L’Aquila and attend SNC next semester.

One of the new Italian students, Viviana Festa, is enjoying her experience at SNC so far.

“This scholarship is a good opportunity for my studies and I would like to extend my stay here in SNC for another semester, if I might find corresponding exams to mine,” Festa said.

Meiling said that SNC is trying to find internships so that students can get very good experiences. For example, senior Lorenzo Angelini is already working for Enel North America.

“I am learning to work directly in the field,” he said. “I can bring this experience back to Italy.”

It seems as though SNC’s invasion from Italy will continue. Most of the Italians love Tahoe because it is very similar to L’Aquila, and they are happy to be here.

“I love the mountains, and especially the lake,” Italian student Antonella Gaetani said. “I feel the nature all around me and it is fantastic.”