Leanne Perricone always knew she'd travel the world, and as a Santa Clara student, she has—twice.

Study abroad opportunities led her to a summer in Scotland and an autumn in Italy. She found a "home away from home" in Italy, where she joined approximately 50 other Santa Clara students at the Syracuse University in Florence. During the fall 2008 quarter, she and her classmate lived two blocks from campus with a host mother.

"Instantly, we thought the world of her," Perricone says, adding that she misses her host "mom" and their nightly dinners together.

Perricone, a management major, took three elective courses and held an internship at La Bottega del Cioccolato, one of two chocolate boutiques owned by Andrea Bianchini in Florence. Some of her responsibilities ranged from translating the company Web site and brochure to working in the store and packaging the chocolate—she even learned to make it.

Perricone was also able to put her SCU business coursework to use by designing classes and tours at La Bottega del Cioccolato for college students in the area, an initiative she thought of and something the company hadn't offered before. She determined the price and schedule of the classes, marketed the new offerings, and led the tours.

She says the experience forced her to immerse herself into the culture, work on her Italian, and learn Italian business practices, which are more informal than in the U.S.

"The internship made my experience," she says. "I had the time of my life."

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