French and Francophone Studies minor Maria Cosma describes the once-in-a-lifetime experience of serving as a Student Ambassador at the World Expo in Milan:

“I spent the summer of 2015 working as a student ambassador at the USA Pavilion at the World Expo in Milan, Italy. The expo theme was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” and it brought together 145 countries to discuss issues of food security and food culture. I was part of 120 student ambassadors, collectively speaking 28 different languages, who represented the United States. Together, we interacted with over 20,000 international visitors per day and facilitated discussions about America’s role as a major food producer. One of the most rewarding aspects of this job was describing the technology behind the football field-sized vertical farm which formed the right wall of the pavilion. Another highlight was meeting Michelle Obama and the presidential delegation who visited the pavilion on June 18th. We had the pleasure of giving the First Lady a tour of the pavilion and hosting a Q&A session about her efforts in combating childhood obesity and malnutrition.”