Ciao! My name is Robert (Robbie) Ferreira, and I am a freshman studying business at The University of Pittsburgh. I was born and raised in northern Virginia, about 45 minutes outside of D.C. and came to Pitt to pursue a career by means of the nationally ranked business school. I love all things music and some of my favorite bands are The Beatles, The Smiths, and The Grateful Dead. I am a self-taught drummer and guitarist who hopes to pick up piano soon as well. I played baseball my whole life up until last May when high school season ended and although I’m retired, I still love watching it (GO NATS) both on TV and in person. I have always taken my grades seriously and worked hard to maintain a high GPA while taking difficult classes. My major is currently undecided; however, I am leaning towards marketing or supply chain based on the introductory segments of each major in my classes this year. Professionally, I have little experience in the business field but have held jobs both in food services and elsewhere. Likewise, two summers ago, I operated my own baseball camp along with two of my friends. Since then, many parents have reached out asking me to give private lessons from which I hope to build a mini business in the future. 

            I am brimming with excitement to visit Italy this summer as not only am I Italian, but I have never even left the continental United States! I cannot wait to immerse myself in a brand-new culture whilst learning first-hand about the supply chain aspects of the fashion industry. In Italy I hope to expand my perspective of the world all the while enjoying the intricacies of the foreign culture and society. Similarly, as someone raised catholic, I am equally excited to visit some of the beautiful religious landmarks in Milan as well as the surrounding areas. I hope that this experience will help me not only choose a major, but a career path in general. I have been fascinated by not only supply chain management but the fashion industry as a whole just during our pre-departure meetings and cannot wait to get a closer look at the interesting field within this thriving industry. I am also very excited to expand my social network by meeting students outside of the business school along with hopefully building connections in Italy as well. Lastly, I hope to be able to cite these two weeks in my personal and professional life as a significant period in my development into an adult.