Since 2016, the Inserra Chair, in collaboration with the Italian Program (MLL Dept.), has offered a vast array of pre-professional opportunities to students of Italian at MSU. The current internship program focuses on Performing Arts and is taking students to an Italian UNESCO site in Agrigento (region of Sicily) in connection to an immersive show. Previous internship programs spanned from Summer 2017 and 2022 and focused on three areas: Italian Business/Made in Italy, Translation, and Teaching/Cultural Programming. Other internships have been offered ad hoc based on specific student projects, research initiatives, and collaborations with other institutions. All these programs have been made possible thanks to the generosity of our main donor Mr. Inserra, either through the main endowment or a targeted funding program, all designed to defray university costs for our students and provide them with financial support to advance their professional skills in work environments connected to their majors or minors.
CURRENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN PERFORMING ARTS (2025 and 2026)
This internship program allows students to perform in a musical inspired by Greek mythology, titled Il Risveglio degli dei – The Reawakening of the Gods. Presented every summer at dawn in the enchanted archeological site of the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the musical is a unique opportunity for students to be fully involved in the activities of the company (rehearsals, targeted classes, site visits, social gatherings, possible parallel shows) in Italian. This will constitute a full cultural and language immersion in a welcoming mid-size town where the students will become “locals” in a short period of time by enjoying the art, history, landscape, and gastronomy of the area. This internship is supported by the general Inserra Endowment and Savatteri Produzioni, with the logistical support of Nexo Sicilia in Agrigento, and the administrative help of the Office of Academic International Initiatives.
2025 Internship in Performing Arts in a UNESCO site in Agrigento (Italy, region of Sicily)
2026 Internship in Performing Arts in a UNESCO site in Agrigento (Italy, region of Sicily)
INSERRA PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2017-2022
This program has counted on $10,000 a year in scholarships for internships, and included partnerships with notable Italian organizations and companies: the Italian Trade Agency in New York, Choose New Jersey in Princeton, Safilo in Secaucaus, NJ, IACE in NY and the Sferisterio Arena in Macerata (in collaboration with the local university). It has provided students of Italian with hands-on projects encompassing an international component. The program has supported two students with $5,000 scholarships in its first and second year of existence, and four students with a $2,500 scholarship each the third year. Overall, eight students have benefitted from this program, a unique offering for a state university. The program has expanded the possibilities for Italian majors looking to secure full-time jobs upon graduation. Read post about Talia Antonacci at Choose New Jersey.
1. Italian Business and Made in Italy sector
- Italian Business Internships at the Italian Trade Agency in New York and Choose New Jersey in Princeton (Italian Business and Made in Italy)
Past editions: 2017 post, 2018 post, 2019 post, 2019-20 post, 2022 post. - Made in Italy Internship at Safilo Eyewear in Secaucus, NJ
[Read post]
2. Italian Teaching/Cultural Programming
- Summer internship in Narni (Umbria) with IACE (The Italian American Committee on Education/Italian Consulate, NY) (Italian teaching)
[Read post]
3. Audiovisual Translation (Sub- and Sur-titles and Audiodescriptions)
- Summer Internship in Macerata (Opera Surtitles and Audiodescriptions)
[Read 2017 post and 2018 post]
AD HOC INTERNSHIP AND RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITIONS
The Inserra Chair has also involved Italian majors in research projects entailing travel abroad for video-interviews, exchange students of Italian Studies in the intensive summer program for HS students at MSU, and HS students for Italian language data gathering related to the intensive summer program for HS students. In this case, it has partnered up with the titling agency Prescott Studio in Florence, the University of Graz Exchange Program at MSU, and Montclair High School,
1. Audiovisual Translation (Sub- and Sur-titles and Audiodescriptions)
2. Internship for Summer Intensive Program for HS students
3. HS student Internship
4. Research assistant (Video-interviews)
This internship and the broader international intercollege initiative connected to it reflect the Expand Reach and Amplify Impact commitment of Montclair State University’s mission: “Increase global engagement by creating international experiences, broadening access to Montclair programs and promoting a global mindset.”
These educational activities are integrated into the regular curriculum and have had a long-term effect on student success. In this sense, these experiences are in line with the 2014 Gallup/Purdue University study called Great Jobs, Great Lives which indicates that the three experiences that contribute to feeling prepared for life after college are:
1. Internships or jobs where students can apply what they learned
2. Active involvement in extracurricular activities (cultural events, clubs, etc.)
3. Working on a project that took a semester or more to complete
Graduates who participated in all three experiences had double the workplace engagement than those who did not take part (59% vs. 30%), in terms of actively pursuing goals and trying to improve their skills, communicating well with other employees and employers, and expressing a sense of satisfaction towards their job experience. Deep learning experiences coupled with steady academic and emotional support from faculty members produce long-term outcomes for college graduates.
Resources:
When Internships Don’t Pay, Some Colleges Will (Nov. 2, 2017, The New York Times)