Hello! My name is Emily Facciolo, and I’m from Delaware County, PA. I am currently a senior, majoring in Supply Chain Management and Business Information Systems, as well as minoring in Law, Criminal Justice, & Society. Outside of class, I am involved in Women in Business and the Pitt Pantry as a shift lead. The Pitt Pantry is a food pantry organized by the school to provide free food and other necessities to students and faculty. This has been one of my favorite aspects of being at Pitt, and it is something that I hope to continue doing in some capacity after I graduate in May. I am also hoping to pursue a career in the supply chain industry.
My favorite hobby is reading, but I also love to watch sitcoms and certain reality TV shows like Big Brother and Survivor. I have a black lab and yellow lab at home, named Koda and Lily, so I enjoy spending as much time with them as possible. I love to learn about geography by memorizing flags, country shapes, and their locations. This is not a surprise because if you know me, you know that traveling is my biggest passion in life, and I think that the two overlap for me. This will be my third time studying abroad in college, with the first two locations being Ecuador (read my blogs here: https://pittplus3.blog/tag/emily-facciolo/) then Ireland. I believe that those two weeks in Ecuador are what changed my perspective and how I view the world, making me more confident, adventurous, and eager to travel.Â
After learning about Global Service Learning, I thought that it would be the perfect way to end my college experience. This is a very unique program, in that we collaborate with a nonprofit organization throughout the entire semester, being able to connect with them for four months instead of just one week in Trinidad. I love how we get to extend this years long relationship with Nature Seekers, a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve and strengthen the local environment, specifically with the conservation of leatherback sea turtles.Â
Along with loving the mission of this organization, I am extremely excited to see the Trinidadian culture, blending together African, Indian, and other influences creating a unique culture for Trinidad to call its own. I have read great things about the food, nature, architecture, but most importantly, the people, who are known for being very hospitable and welcoming.Â
My academic and professional goals go hand and hand with one another, because this is such an intense and hands-on project based course, which will give me many new skills before entering the workforce a few months in the future. Mainly, though, the interpersonal skills that come with interacting with people from a different country and culture from my own. I will learn more about adaptability and flexibility, but I also am eager to learn more about project management, because I took a course on it and it really piqued my interest, so I am excited to be able to apply it to a real life situation. Working for a nonprofit in the future is something that interests me, so this will be a great way to learn about the inner workings of the organization while also seeing the impact that it has on the community. I believe that this program will make me more understanding, patient, and curious because I am trying to soak up as much as I can while participating in this program.Â
My personal goals for this program are to say yes to the many adventures that will be presented to me and completely immerse myself while in-country. I hope to write down my thoughts and feelings before I leave, while I’m there, and after I have left, to fully grasp the impact that this program has had on me. I want to embrace the uncertainty that comes with international travel, because sometimes, those make the best stories. I am truly so excited to learn as much as I can on this adventure and make every moment count.