Skip to main content
Leavey School of Business Santa Clara University

Profiles

Nick Napoli
Nick Napoli '23
Finance and Political Science Majors
Study Abroad: Paris, France
What was one of your favorite classes? I really enjoyed a class titled International Political Economy, which covered a wide range of topics from geopolitics to the illicit global economy. In one week, we studied the practice of currency counterfeiting and illegal pollution, and in another we examined the instability of financial markets. I really enjoyed studying the intersections of politics and economics and the specificity of the topics.
 
What did you like about your program/university? Paris consistently proved to be more amazing than I could ever imagine. There's truly no other city like it in the world. The sheer quantity of culturally enriching places, activities, and experiences is overwhelming. Even after four months of rigorously exploring the city, I have a long list of things I still want to do. More importantly, I was constantly surrounded by new people, and I’ve come to form lifelong friendships with people from all over. At my residence, I lived with hundreds of other students from Spain, Italy, France, Turkey, and countless other countries. I actually ended up learning as much Spanish as I did French, so needless to say it was a unique (and perfect) situation. Regarding academics, I was part of a dual enrollment program where I took classes with other American students at IES Abroad, and then another class at the Paris School of Business with many international students. It was really fantastic to feel connected to other Americans but always have the opportunity to meet other international people at the Paris School of Business, as well as my residence.
 
What was your favorite place that you visited or favorite part about your city? On the weekend of my 21st birthday, my friends and I took a train to the region of Normandy and visited the beautiful coastal town of Étretat. It is a tiny little down nestled between cliffs that have very striking rock formations carved by the sea. It was really breathtaking, and I’ve never seen anything like it before. Not only was the setting itself incredible, but it was meaningful to share that experience with close friends.
 
 
What advice would you give to the 2022 abroad students?  All the best things in life come from extending yourself into a place of discomfort. For me, this philosophy helped me decide to study abroad. I thought the transition from online class at home to studying abroad halfway around the world may simply be too extreme of a transition to make, especially during COVID outbreaks. I found a lot of discomfort in the idea of facing challenges abroad, but nothing good comes from staying in your comfort zone. Importantly, deciding to study abroad is just the first step of pursuing this philosophy. Once there, I continuously pushed myself into new situations–whether that may be meeting new people, enveloping myself in another culture, or traveling. I found those times of discomfort to be by far the most formative experiences of my entire life. It is important to note that one must be pretty proactive to make the most of the time abroad. There is an unfathomable amount of happiness and valuable experience that can be extracted from every single day, and it’s vital to work to unlock that.