Global and Italian Studies Major Recognized with Doyle Award for Excellence
Isabella Bolognese ’20 was named the recipient of the 2020 George A. Doyle Merit Award for Excellence in Economics or Global Studies. Bolognese, of Millington, NJ, is a double major in global studies and Italian studies.
The George A. Doyle Merit Award has been given annually to a deserving student who excels in the areas of economics and/or global studies. The award, established in 1990, was named for the late George Doyle, Ph.D., who created the economics and global studies program while a professor at Assumption.
While at Assumption, Bolognese has discovered and nurtured her love for both Italian and global studies. When she discovered the global studies major during her time at Assumption, she was intrigued by its interdisciplinary nature and the ways that it could complement her Italian studies major and broaden her worldview.
“It is noteworthy how the interdisciplinary structure of the global studies major has enriched my liberal arts education. It has given me new ways of seeing and understanding the world, developing my insights into what makes countries, around the world, both unique yet nonetheless, inter-connected.” said Bolognese, who plans to pursue a year-long position with AmeriCorps before applying to graduate school in a field related to climate change and sustainable development. “I feel that, through this major, I have gained a greater understanding of how to analyze global issues and learned how to effectively address them. Global studies has given me the knowledge and skills that are required of anyone hoping to navigate our ever-changing world and the problems that affect it.”
Bolognese spent the spring 2018 semester studying at Assumption’s Rome, Italy, Campus, and returned to Italy in the summer of 2019 to study at the International Italian Institute: Lorenzo de’Medici in Florence, experiences she said, “taught me the value of being able to move easily both within and between cultures, and has enabled me to learn the skills necessary to do so.” She also noted that they allowed her “to deepen my knowledge of Italy’s rich culture and its beautiful language in ways I could not have imagined.” It was this passion for the Italian language and culture that first drew Bolognese to Assumption. She is a co-founder of the Assumption Italian Club and has served as its president for the past two years. Bolognese is an active member of the Students Talking about Religious Topics (START) Program, and has participated in intramural soccer. She also has a passion for photography; she has served as the photo editor for Le Provocateur, the University’s student-run newspaper and volunteered as a photographer for various non-profit causes. Throughout her four years at Assumption, Bolognese has been involved with the Worcester Women’s Oral History Project, where she interviewed and transcribed the personal stories of local women.
Bolognese was scheduled to receive her award, which includes a prize of $2,000, during a March 19 ceremony, however, the ceremony was canceled due to the coronavirus situation at that time.