05/12/2021
In the days leading up to graduation, we will be introducing some of our outstanding 2021 graduates. 🎓 Today we're celebrating Italian Studies major Joe Solaro, recipient of the James D. Collins Award and the Senior Legacy Symposium representative from our department this year.
"Ciao! My name is Joe Solaro, I am from Quincy, Illinois, and am an Italian and Philosophy double major. I began studying Italian at the end of my freshman year at SLU and I have been in love with it ever since. Not only was the language itself beautiful, but through studying Italian I was able to connect to my Italian heritage and become a more well-rounded person overall. The Italian Studies program has taken me across the world, challenged me academically, and has broadened my own horizons to how I approach life. Studying a foreign language to me is so much more than memorizing vocab and grammar rules. It’s about stepping outside of your comfort zone and truly immersing yourself in something completely foreign. As a result of this, I’ve learned to approach problems from different angles and to consider viewpoints other than my own. Without the Italian studies program and the LLC department, I would not be the person I am today."
Here are a few words about Joe from Dr. Claudia Karagoz, Italian Program Coordinator:
"Joe Solaro has made the Dean’s List since Spring 2018. He achieved outstanding results in all his Italian courses, showing superior analytical skills when studying complex texts and crafting original, thought-provoking essays. For example, Joe wrote an outstanding paper titled 'Finding Balance in Dante’s Inferno' where he argued that Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics plays a critical role in analyzing the reason given for the dispersal of sinners in the Inferno.
Moreover, Joe has generously helped others by serving as the Italian Language tutor and leading the Italian conversation group. This important work truly embodies SLU’s mission of being women and men for others.
Joe is a well-rounded person, with broad-ranging interests and extra-curricular activities including serving as music director of SLU Decadence A Ca****la and participating in SLU Mock Trial. He is considering pursuing an MA in Italian and a career in automotive journalism, where he would be able to apply his knowledge of Italian language, culture and society."
Congratulazioni, Joe! 🎉
