Alumna Chiara De Luca Lands Traineeship at Greenpeace International

Chiara De Luca

A Communications major from Naples, Chiara De Luca graduated from John Cabot University in 2012. Read her testimonial below.

Have you ever walked into a college class with the expectation of how exciting it would be? I certainly did when, in Spring 2011, I stepped into my Digital Media class at JCU. Not only was it exciting: it changed my career plans!

Initially, I thought the class would only cover “media geek” stuff, but I was wrong. My classmates and I were shocked to learn about the dreadful ecological effects caused by the production process of our media gadgets. On the other hand, we were impressed by stories about environmentally-conscious people made available by independent media. Indeed, Professor Antonio López did a great job teaching us about sustainability and inspiring us to live our lives in a more sustainable way.

I was so inspired by what I learned in Digital Media and so motivated to make a real change that I decided to apply for a Master’s in Sustainable Development at the University of St. Andrew’s, one of the leading sustainability institutions in the UK. I got accepted and devoted my time studying mainly waste-management and health as well as environmental and social justice. However, I also tried to bridge my environmental awareness with my deep-rooted passion for communication tools, which I began developing at JCU. For my Master’s thesis, I conducted fieldwork in Los Angeles, California, where I had the chance to design my own interdisciplinary research and to explore hands-on the connections between sustainable development and media literacy.

I am currently in Amsterdam, doing a Media Analysis Traineeship at Greenpeace’s International Headquarters. Three years ago I could only dream of working at such a prominent environmental NGO! Now I am actually here, tapping into those media literacy and research skills I started honing at JCU.

As a JCU alumna, I feel like sharing a few pieces of advice with current students: 1. don’t be afraid to question your plans and goals; 2. be open to unexpected scenarios; 3. aim to learn ”as you go” from your professors’ lessons and your friends’ stories on campus. You’ll really grow, learning more about yourself as a student and as a young professional.

Carpe Diem,

Chiara De Luca