Carlo Flamer is a senior student from New York, majoring in International Business with a minor in Marketing. At JCU, he works in the Admissions office as a Student Ambassador, helping prospective and current students during their time at university. He completed an internship thanks to JCU’s Center for Career Services and is currently a representative for JERO (Junior Enterprise of Rome), a non-profit organization founded and managed by JCU students.
Tell us a bit about your background and why you decided to come to JCU.
I grew up in New York and New Jersey. My mom is from Turin, Italy, so I have spent a few summers visiting Italy growing up. I knew I wanted to go to university outside of the US, and I felt comfortable with the Italian language and culture. When I began looking for American universities here, I immediately found John Cabot. I made the decision to come here after visiting the campus during my senior year of high school.
What made you decide to study International Business and Marketing?
When I was in high school, I decided to study business because I really enjoyed math and the business classes I took. I also like the Business Administration department at JCU. My major is very versatile, with many areas of interest, such as management, accounting, economics, and marketing and business.
Tell us a bit about your internship experience at JCU.
I have had three internships during my time at JCU. I have been at my current internship for about a year now, and I am really enjoying it. I intern at Monaco Brands, a subsidiary of the government of the Principality of Monaco. The company owns the trademark of Monaco and Monte Carlo, and our company's mission is to protect the value of the Principality. I work for the US sector, and my role focuses on trademark and intellectual property protection.
The first internship I secured through JCU's Career Services was in marketing at a startup company that makes consumer packaged goods. I helped with things like social media, marketing planning, and finding new clients for the company.
My boss from that first internship had another startup he was working on, which was a travel company that gave live audio tours. I was more of a business development intern. My responsibilities included looking for new clients, analyzing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and creating strategy plans for the company. These experiences have helped me a lot with the type of career I want to have in the future.
I am also part of JERO (Junior Enterprise of Rome), which is an organization formed and run by JCU students. In short, we are an organization that provides consulting services in different sectors to small and medium-sized companies in Italy. I was originally a business and finance associate at JERO, and then I was promoted to a board position as Secretary General.
I would recommend that everyone reach out to our Career Services Center for help in looking for internships or to organizations like JERO or the International Business Society at JCU.
Tell us about your experience as a Student Ambassador at JCU.
I have been a Student Ambassador for three years now. We work under the Admissions office. Our responsibilities are to provide campus tours to prospective and incoming students whenever they visit the school. We also connect with them via Zoom if they are not in Rome. It is helpful for prospective or newly admitted students to speak with a current student because you can ask us about anything, from student life to personal experiences. Sometimes people want to hear from JCU students who are from the same area as they are. We also organize events throughout the year, like Admitted Students’ Day and the Degree-Seeking Students Welcome Dinner at the beginning of each semester. I really hope I have been able to make a difference in people deciding to study at John Cabot.
Are there any specific classes or professors that have had an impact on you?
One professor who stood out to me was Teresa Triglia. I really relate to her. She went to law school in New York, so she had all the right advice to give me, and she provided me with helpful suggestions. She even told me that there's a possibility that, even though you're a lawyer in the US, you can come and work in Italy at some firms as well. I took International Business Law with Professor Triglia, and it was my favorite class at JCU. I learned so much about the legal system across borders, which is the type of law that I hope to practice after law school, in a corporate setting.
What are your plans for the future?
I have really enjoyed all the business law classes I took at JCU, so my current plan is to go to law school eventually. However, my professors have suggested to me that I should consider waiting two to three years before applying to law school and gain some work experience first. I want to try to find a job as a paralegal or something in the legal field. In the meantime, I have started studying for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) practice tests.
