By Roselyn Asusta
Extracurriculars push students out of their comfort zones, and the same applies to clubs in college. Florida International University (FIU) sponsors a club called the FIU Italian Club at its Modesto Maidique Campus (MMC), located in Miami, Florida. The Italian Club welcomes a range of people, including native Italians, children of Italian immigrant parents, experienced Italian students, new Italian students, and those simply interested in Italian culture. I, Roselyn Asusta, lead the club as Vice President with my friend Michelle Puentes, the President. We lead the E-Board and club to accomplish our goal of bringing people interested in Italy together. Our advisor Dr. Magda Pearson, Michelle, and I encourage people to speak Italian even if they are new to the language. We work with the Board and seasoned members to create a safe, relaxed environment where students can make mistakes without hesitation, because mistakes lead to learning and growth.
The Italian Club hosts several events throughout the semester, including a monthly chiacchierata (or “chat”), where members can casually speak in Italian. Michelle and I also plan community service events with different organizations like the WOW Center (a school for adults with disabilities, where we volunteered to teach Italian) and the FIU Office of University Sustainability (where we volunteered at the FIU Nature Preserve). We even do more leisure-oriented events like a Welcome Party at the beginning of the academic year, pizza-making class, Italian art class, and an opera to attend in the spring at the Adrienne Arsht Center (my favorite event). These events are fun, casual, and educational, and we all learn more about Italian and each other.
My experience in the FIU Italian Club so far has been fantastic and very rewarding. I have learned plenty about organizing events, handling finances, interacting with members of varying levels in Italian, presenting in a professional setting, and leading a group in general. I have also made friends with many members of the club and even learned Italian slang! I consider the club advisor (who is also my Italian professor), Dr. Magda Pearson, a valuable mentor. I believe that clubs like the FIU Italian Club are worthwhile because you can practice Italian and be part of a small community in college. I hope to keep leading the Italian Club and look forward to enjoying more events with my new friends!
Roselyn Asusta, a junior at Florida International University. Roselyn is an Honors College student majoring in Liberal Studies with a pre-law track and pursuing a certificate in pre-law and another in Italian. She is also Vice President of the Italian Club at Florida International University.