Hello. My name is Brandon Gallo. I am a finance major and have spent all of my college years at Pitt Business. Personally, I like to spend time with friends and family. A few of my hobbies include hockey, golf, and Pittsburgh sports. This is my final semester of college, and I chose to spend it abroad. Thus far, it has been an exciting and meaningful way to wrap up my undergraduate career.
Professionally, I will be working at JPMorgan Chase as a Corporate Analyst after graduation. I am very interested in finance and ultimately hope to build a career in wealth management. My aspirations have made studying business abroad feel like a valuable opportunity. I am participating in the Global Business Institute: Florence. I chose this program because I wanted to experience what it would be like to study in a different country. I felt that living and learning abroad would broaden my perspective, both personally and professionally. I chose Florence specifically because I have always found the Renaissance period fascinating and wanted the chance to learn more about it.
My main goal for this program is to see as many historically and culturally significant places as possible. Being in a city like Florence, where history is part of everyday life, has already made that goal feel very achievable. Academically, there are a few similarities and differences between Pitt and my host institution. The overall structure of education feels familiar in terms of assignments, coursework, and lessons. One major difference is the campus layout. Unlike Pitt, my new institution is much more spread out. My nearest class is about a 30-minute walk from where I live, which has definitely been an adjustment.
That distance has also given me the opportunity to experience what an authentic Italian neighborhood is like, since I am far from the city center. One of the things I like most about my neighborhood is how calm and quiet it is compared to more tourist-heavy areas. I currently live in an apartment with two friends from Pitt and three students from CU Boulder. We all get along very well, which has made the living situation comfortable. There hasn’t been too much adapting required overall. However, there are some small lifestyle changes. Grocery shopping is something you tend to do every day or two instead of weekly. Another adjustment has been laundry. There are no dryers in the apartment. Since it’s still cold outside, we’ve had to get creative and find places inside the apartment to hang our clothes.
Overall, this experience has already been a great way to step outside my comfort zone while still building on everything I’ve learned. I’m grateful for the opportunity to study abroad through Pitt Business. I look forward to learning and growing throughout the semester.
