Illinois State University alum Mike Hart.
An update from Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures alum Mike Hart ’05, who minored in Italian Studies.
“My study abroad experience in Italy, as well as the Italian Studies minor, continue to influence my life in direct and sometimes subtler ways.
Only a few months ago I flew to Boston to reunite with some of my classmates from Florence and the five of us spent a day walking around Boston’s North End (Little Italy) while discussing our still thriving love of all things Italian.
As for the influence of the Italian Studies minor, it has on multiple occasions earned me brownie points during job interviews. It is prominently featured under the education portion of my resume, and about half of all my interviewers have asked about my study of Italian. So, even if I’m not working in a field directly dependent on my previous study of Italian language, culture, and history, that academic pursuit is a constant conversation starter during job interviews.
I’d recommend the minor to future students for this reason, in addition to the fact that the coursework was very interesting.”
