News
Dear Board of Directors of Patrons of Italian Culture,
Thank you so much for awarding me this amazing Patrons of Italian Culture scholarship! I am very excited to begin my studies at the University of Edinburgh in the fall where I have accepted an unconditional offer to study History and Italian. Italian has been taught there since 1919! Their history program is distinctive for the range of historical themes, chronological periods and geographical areas they offer. I can choose from courses covering classic and ancient history to the early Middle Ages to the most recent past. The University of Edinburgh courses offer a rich variety of approaches to the past, including political history, cultural history, social history, economic history, intellectual history, and global and transnational history. I also plan on taking my junior year abroad in Italy where I look forward to deepening by knowledge of Italian while attending a program that is centered in Europe but retains a global perspective. My future goals are to pursue a Ph.D. and to one day teach at a university or work in a museum so I can share my passion for history and Italian with others, keeping it present in our daily lives and spaces, connecting the old and the new in a global tapestry.
Although I am not Italian, I sincerely appreciate the Patrons of Italian Culture recognizing students who, despite not having Italian heritage, fall in love with Italian language and culture! I have been learning and speaking Italian since I was two years old when my mom enrolled me in Fondazione Italia language classes. When I was ten, I lived in Padova for a year with my family. I can say without a doubt that the experience of living in Italy was what really ignited by love for history and cemented the importance of speaking another language. Being bilingual has shaped who I am, developed the ways I view things, and inspired curiosity in the world around me.
Thank you again for awarding me this incredibly special scholarship. Grazie mille!
Cordialmente,
Vega Keller