SophiaSociale - Voyage of Discovery

NIAF's Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Voyage of Discovery

The Voyage of Discovery is a two-week all expenses paid trip to Italy for Italian American college students sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation. This trip features two groups of 25 students from across the United States for a trip to Italy every June. A major part of my role is to plan, organize, attend, lead, and capture these trips. I have lead the

Summer 2023 Voyage of Discovery to Rome and the region of Emilia-Romagna

Summer 2024 Voyage of Discovery to Milan the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia

Overview of my role in this program

Before the trip(s):

Application's for the summer trip open November 1st. This is when I begin to promote the program on all NIAF social media platforms
During this time I assist in collecting paperwork and answering questions sent in by prospective students.
When the application closes in early February, I assist in selecting participants and necessary collecting paperwork from selected participants.

During the Trip:

For the month of June I am in Italy leading two groups on a two-week excursion through Italy.
My primary role is to chaperone and act as a cultural leader guiding the students through each day while answering questions, assisting with issues, and providing insight into the Italian culture.
In addition, I capture the daily activities on the Instagram account I launched. This included one Instagram Reel per day and one carousel post with images each day.

Program Platform Launches

Sophia plays a key role in promoting NIAF's 20+ year old corner stone program, The Voyage of Discovery- a free trip to Italy for Italian American college students. Sophia launched two platforms tailed to this program: YouTube and Instagram. Check them out by clicking the icons!

click the icons below to check out the voyage of discovery channels!

Content Samples

YouTube's Long Form Interviews

These are sample videos of the type of content Sophia captures on a day-to-day basis while in Italy covering the Voyage of Discovery. They aim to provide insight into the daily activities that are part of the program for furture applicants while capturing the trip for participant family and friends.

Instagram's short Form Reels

Daily Recap Videos

These are sample videos of the type of content Sophia captures on a day-to-day basis while in Italy covering the Voyage of Discovery. They aim to provide insight into the daily activities that are part of the program for future applicants while capturing the trip for participant family and friends.

Session 1- Day trip to Tivoli.mov

Session 1- Bologna.mov

Promotional Content for Instagram

These are sample videos of the type of content Sophia produces to promote the program, its value, and its application in the offseason. These videos aim to reach young collegiate Italian Americans who may never get the chance to visit Italy.