Hello everyone! My name is Jared Casassa, and I am a junior Finance major at the University of Pittsburgh. I am studying abroad through the CAPA program in London this upcoming spring, and I am very excited to be sharing my experiences with you all over the next couple months.

I was born and raised in Stratham, New Hampshire, and attended Exeter High School before coming to Pittsburgh. I love New Hampshire and everything it had to offer, however, I knew I wanted to go to college in a city, which is how I ended up choosing Pitt over other schools that I applied to. This past summer, I completed an internship with Bottomline Technologies as a financial analyst intern, and hope to continue to pursue opportunities in this field in the near future. I have enjoyed taking classes at Pitt, especially Corporate Finance, Investment Management, and Financial Accounting.

This upcoming semester, from January 10th until April 21st, I will be studying abroad in London through the “Pitt in London” CAPA program. I chose this program because it was quite easy to apply to through my school, and it also gave me the opportunity to complete an international internship while I am abroad. Therefore, I will be interning at Inspiratia for 20 hours per week during my three and a half months in London. In addition to completing my internship, I will also be taking three classes: International Finance, International Marketing, and Ethics and Social Media. I hope to learn a great deal about these topics, especially international finance, as business is becoming more and more global, so having an understanding about how professional standards, advertising, and budgeting problems are handled on a global scale is of great importance and interest to me.

I also believe the international internship will be a fantastic opportunity for myself. At Pitt Business, the motto is “From the Classroom. To the City. To the World.” After taking five semesters of classes, and completing an internship this past summer, I believe the final accomplishment I need to have is taking my knowledge and experiences to an international level. Having this internship is vital for my growth as a future potential employee, and it can also provide a great experience to engage in everyday operations with an international company. Not only is this opportunity good for the present, but it can be a fantastic conversation starter when I apply for jobs in the future.

Although my classes and my internship are of high priority and importance, I am also hoping to travel around London, the United Kingdom, and Europe as well. Although I have previously travelled to Italy and London before, these next couple months represent a golden opportunity for me to explore the world, and discover different places to visit, whether it’s the local bakery and coffee shop down the street or the world famous Schmalznudel bakery in Munich. During my free time, I want to explore as much as possible, as I know this trip I am about to begin is going to be the most important and most memorable three months of my life.