Julie Dise: I can't tell you how much my experiences in Cagli have changed my life. Going as a student and again as a graduate assistant were both amazing opportunities.  I had been on vacations abroad before and since, but going for an extended period of time so that we felt like we lived there and were really a part of the community was completely different.

As a result of my time in Cagli, my goals and priorities have definitely changed.  The fall after I graduated Loyola, I enrolled in an Italian language course at a local community school.  I was afraid to lose the skills I had gained, and I missed being involved in the Italian culture, I always knew I loved to travel, but since Cagli I have focused my career path in the travel direction.  I am currently an event coordinator in which I work on travel for speakers.  However, I am now looking into working at a university because I would really enjoy being involved in the study abroad office.

What I learned in Cagli is going to be carried with me much longer and influence where I go in life, more than any course I ever took.  Though I have never envisioned myself working as a teacher, I really am really thinking about it now because I would love to take students on experiences such as Cagli and see how much it can enlighten them as it did me.

Matthew Falco: The Cagli project opened my eyes to a new platform of media. Not only did it inspire me to pursue a future career in the digital media field, but gave me a hands on and real-life experience which prepared me for my future endeavors. An experience like this is so unique in that it cannot be mimicked in a traditional classroom setting. It rounded me as a person both personally and professionally, exposing me to a new culture and new way to communicate and interact with it.

Dave Gilalanella: With my clips and experience gained during the program, I went on to spend a year stringing at my hometown weekly in NJ.  Then- I was accepted into and completed a dual-masters program at Northwestern.  I earned an MSJ from Medill and masters in legal studies from NU Law, qualifying me as a legal affairs and courts reporter.  I am currently employed in that capacity at the (daily) Courier News in Elgin, IL.  But along with the courts, I also cover county government, transportation and a host of other issues.

So there's the background-- and it all started with Cagli.  It doesn't get much more worthwhile than that.

Mike Memoli: Four years after I enrolled in the Cagli Project, I accepted a job with NBC News as an "embedded" reporter covering the 2008 presidential election. My first assignment: move to New Hampshire, become an instant expert on local politics and report the day-to-day developments in the home of the first-in-the-nation primary.

A daunting enough task on its own. But in today's media environment, reporting isn't just telling a story in a few hundred words. It's putting those words on a web page, along with streaming video, dynamic photos and interesting sidebars.

As my new coworkers and I were told all of this, I realized I had heard it all before, four years earlier, in a classroom in Italy. I found that story, I shot those photos, I edited that video, and I created that Web page. And so as challenging as this new role seemed, I couldn't help but feel I had a head start.

The Cagli Project truly was ahead of its time, and is invaluable training for anyone in the communications field. And of course, it's so much more than that. It's a month immersed in a wonderful new culture and meeting interesting people. It's an experience that continues with me to this day. Now, if only Manchester had quite as good a food selection.

Christopher Nelson: The Cagli Project was critical in preparing me for my future in media. Cagli, Italy is the perfect setting for a program which focuses on immersing students in culture, and teaching students about storytelling. At the end of my time in Italy I left having learned a great deal, but also having contributed to four great stories.

After participating in the Cagli Project, I came back to the States, more able to tell stories. What I did while in Italy prepared me for other opportunities which have come along such as participating in a NPR training program.

Caitlin Rohan: The Cagli program was a great, life-changing and character building experience.  Because the program is group based, you establish close relationships/friendships with the other students.  Group dinners are one of the best social aspects of the program; I knew I could sit down next to anyone and feel comfortable and have a great conversation. Travelling on the weekends to other cities, such as Florence and Rome also built friendships. Sharing an apartment with other student was also a great experience.  I definitely bonded with my roommates and the students in this program.

I also think Cagli made me become more globally and culturally aware. We were so immersed in a REAL Italian town, not a major city where many people spoke English or everything was Americanized.  We really got to experience the culture by being the ONLY Americans in a small, traditional town.

As for the career experience, I have been hired because of my work on the Cagli Project.  This summer I am re-designing and re-launching websites with the Hearst Corporation, and they were especially interested in my work on the Cagli Project. It was interesting to work with video, web and photography since I personally do not really have any experience in those areas. I feel like I was able to learn a lot in a very limited amount of time, which was excellent.

The program was also great because it gave us real life deadlines.
There were no late excuses for your work not being done. I also liked how the program went at such an accelerated pace. There was always something to do, it was always challenging and never boring.

So, I really feel like Cagli changed my life. I had an amazing and fun time. I also learned a lot. I was able to first-hand experience a culture, which was an adventure. Cagli definitely made me become more independent. It built my communication skills. I also have 35 new friends. It's great.

Christina Santucci: Since becoming involved with the Cagli Project, I have been asked about the program during every interview I've gone on, with daily and weekly newspapers, for a resident director position at a college, and most recently during an interview with a TV documentary.

The program has prepared me for working in the communications business more so than any other aspect of my college career, and I feel better prepared than many of my New York newspaper colleagues because of the video and HTML classes that I took in Cagli. I recently showed a photographer for the NY Daily News how to convert a video into a quicktime file.

In addition, I fell in love with a beautiful city in Italy, a place where I could see myself visiting time and time again throughout my life. Would I recommend the program to college students?  Undoubtedly. Would I go again if I could do it all over again? Of course.

Mary C. Schell: As I prepare to graduate and look for jobs, I am so thankful that I have the Cagli Project under my belt. In a world of converging media, the experience I had with ieiMedia is by far the single most compelling item on my resume.
Lauren Hicks: There are no words that can fully express the amazing experience I had in Armagh. Not only did I learn about media and expression but I gained insight into a world and culture that has deeply touched my heart. There is no other program that allows you to fully and immediately immerse yourself into a town and leaves no room for
hesitation. The people of Northern Ireland were welcoming, friendly,
helpful and just entrancing to be around. The IEImedia program helps you to tell these wonderful stories! Now that I am back in the states, I often think about those wonderful weeks and the friendships that I made. I have people ask me what my time was like and I tell them "It is like nothing that you have ever experienced and it leaves you wanting more!"