Hi! I’m Sachi Ailani and I am a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Finance and Business Analytics. Originally, I am from South Brunswick, New Jersey. On campus, I am a brother in Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity and a member of Smart Women Securities. After graduating, I hope to have a career in investment management and work for a global firm, making a meaningful impact for clients around the world.

This semester, I am beyond excited to be studying abroad in Florence, Italy through Pitt’s Global Business Institute and CEA Capa. I have been here for about a month, and have loved every day so far! For classes, I am taking Beginner Drawing, Beginner Oil Painting, International Finance, and Italian Here & Now. This past summer, I interned on Morgan Stanley’s Emerging Markets Equities team gaining a very global perspective on investing. I am very excited to further my education in international investing and business practices through my International Finance course.

My drawing and oil painting classes are very different than what I have been taking at Pitt so far. I have not taken art classes since middle school, so it’s refreshing to have a designated creative outlet. I am not a great drawer or painter (yet) and I am very excited to see how I improve and grow throughout the semester. These art classes are exercising my time, patience, and commitment to improve because drawing and painting is an art and a skill, unlike some classes that can be studied for overnight to learn and do well on a test.

The city itself has been absolutely amazing so far. I enjoy how there is a balance between locals and also study abroad students, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to study in Florence. I have the opportunity to make meaningful connections with locals and the culture, while also having the comfort of being around other student. Being from the suburbs of New Jersey and even with Pitt being so condensed, I am not used to walking as much as I have been. The streets are so beautiful and there is always so much to see and take in, that some days I barely even noticed I have walked over 20,000 steps. I live with 6 other roommates, and am in a triple. This is definitely a change from having my own room on campus, but being around other students has been a great support system and a lot of fun as we are all navigating the same experiences and changes together. We are very lucky that our apartment is very close to center city, our classes, restaurants, cafes, and shops. Being so close has allowed me to explore as much as I can on a daily basis. I think that I have been adapting well to Florence so far, and have been making an effort try to something new or explore a new area each day to make the most of my time here!