2024 Scholarship Recipients: Sophia Maisano and Amanda McClure

On April 28th, our 2024 scholarship winners, Sophia Maisano and Amanda McClure- both students at UNC- Charlotte- delivered presentations detailing their study abroad experiences in Italy.

As the child of two Italian parents who had yet to visit Italy herself, Sophia used this trip as both an educational experience and an opportunity to connect with an important part of her identity. Driven by a desire to apply her classroom knowledge in the real world, Sophia traveled to Italy with the goal of increasing her Italian fluency and reconnecting with her heritage. Majoring in Psychology with a minor in Health and Human Humanities, she has a deep interest in learning how people live and studying other cultures in order to develop a multicultural mindset.

Sophia's experience allowed her to hone her linguistic abilities as well as "live in the moment," seeing Italy up close instead of just through the photographs she has seen all her life. She maximized her time by visiting Rome, Venice, Florence, the Vatican City, Verona, and more. With her newfound knowledge and experience, she will carry her intellect, people skills, and Italian pride into her future career in psychology.

Amanda is a pre-med student also with an Italian background who used her time abroad to delve deeper into the Italian medical system. With a keen awareness of the medical field's increasing global interconnectedness, Amanda sought to put her studies in an international context and learn from new teaching styles and cultural exchange with her fellow students. Living in a foreign country allowed her to step outside of her comfort zone and sharpen her cross-cultural skills like cooperation, communication, and flexibility.

Studying in the heart of Italy, Amanda immersed herself in all that Rome has to offer. In her future career, Amanda hopes to use her relationships, insights, and global mindset that she developed during this experience to gain a competitive edge and provide exemplary patient care.

Both of our winners are a testament to the value of international study that is made possible by the CCI-NC scholarship, and we are so proud of all that they have accomplished.

Sophia Maisano

Amanda McClure, presenting virtually

Honorary Consul Valentina Cecchi with Sophia