On July 26th, a reception was held on the MV Explorer honoring this year’s Port of Civitavecchia’s scholarship recipient, Giovanni Pinizzotto. This was the second consecutive year Civitavecchia has funded a scholarship for a Semester at Sea student who is a Civitavecchia native or resident. Pinizzotto, 20, an international relations and diplomacy major studying at the Universita Degli Studi Di Trieste is a Civitavecchia resident since 2003.
Former SAS student and Civitavecchia native Jennifer Fraticelli, 23, a science of translation major at Sapienza University in Rome received the 2012 Civitavecchia scholarship.
Both Fraticelli and Pinizzotto attended the reception on board the MV Explorer.
Semester at Sea was docked in the port of Civitavecchia July 24 through July 27, 2013 as part of the program’s Summer 2013 Voyage around Europe and North Africa. During their time in Civitavecchia, Semester at Sea students engaged in field labs with professors as well as visits to iconic natural and architectural Roman attractions, visited with children at Repubblica dei Ragazzi orphanage, participated in a cooking class in Tarquinia, and more.
Massimo Miliano, a representative from the Port Authority of Civitavecchia wholeheartedly supports the scholarship and is pleased to announce the continuance of this award. “I think this is a very good idea for the Port Authority and glad we created the scholarship. This award provides a wonderful opportunity for an Italian student from Civitavecchia to participate in the SAS voyage.”
Pinizzotto, who attended the reception with his parents, is not only grateful for this opportunity, but also sees great value in this award. “This scholarship has allowed me an opportunity to travel to places I would never have gone to and I am most grateful for that. It also has allowed me a chance to meet lots of people and create a better understanding of the United States, while widening my horizons and fostering a better understanding of other countries. This has been a life-changing opportunity.”
Last year’s recipient, Jennifer Fraticelli, and recipient of this scholarship for the Summer, 2012, also experienced first hand the benefits of her scholarship award. “I had the chance to meet people from new cultures, improve my English, and for the first time I traveled abroad. The teachers were incredible and I am hoping that the Italian Universities would participate more with this wonderful program.”
Pinizzotto also sees the positive impact this award will have for his future career goals. “International Relations is really based on the understanding and the perspective that you have on other countries. The fact that you go to these remarkable destinations and live there, and get in contact with other people around the world, allows you to have a better understanding for cooperation, and to see how that country works and how they live and have a better understanding of people. In my chosen profession, this is very important in the diplomatic area and will assist me a great deal in achieving my future career goals in international relations.”
