Hi! My name is Olivia Soccio and I am a junior International Business Major double minoring in Italian Studies and Communications. I am currently studying abroad in Milan, Italy through the affiliate program IES Abroad in a Business Studies program. I chose this program because it was a perfect fit for my major and my minors. I like that I get to live in a shared apartment with girls from schools across the U.S. and also have classes with kids from other schools. I chose to go to Milan specifically because I knew I wanted to go to Italy and Milan provides me with that while also being able to study in a world class business and fashion capital. Milan is also in a great location within Europe and you can easily access other major European cities. My primary goal while abroad is to be able to speak the Italian language well when I come out and to gain better knowledge of how business operate on a global scale. I’ve done research on the Italian customs and manners and also brushing up on the language to prepare myself.