Local Students in the News

North End Resident Receives Scholarship to Study Italian in Florence from The Italian Cultural Institute

Donna Lubrano, North End Resident, Professor and Grant Consultant has received the good news that she was awarded a full academic scholarship to study Italian at the Accademia Europea Firenze for one month in Fall, 2025.She will spend  the month studying the language in class, participating in cultural activities and traveling throughout the country. The scholarship will support her studies at the intensive language institute where she will join other international students in language classes and cultural excursions.

Her passion and love for language began when she was very young, speaking the Neapolitan dialect for her grandparents who lived with her. She also translated business letters for her father, studied Italian in high school and received a scholarship to study Italian at the Università Per Stranieri in Perugia as an adult. She lived in Rome, worked for Panorama Magazine and supervised cultural exchange programs.

“Learning the language will deepen my connection to my heritage and enhance my ability to develop exciting and meaningful international programs. I will never forget the joy it gave me to speak to my grandparents, who didn’t speak English. I remember at the age of 10 pushing my grandfather in his wheelchair to the dinner table and telling him to lift his feet in my broken and less than perfect Italian. I remember calling my relatives in Procida and being able to get to know them through our love of the language.” Memories to last a lifetime.

 To learn more about scholarship opportunities through the Italian Cultural Institute visit their website at Italian Cultural Institute.