With the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics being held in Milan and Cortina, Italy, Stefania Baita, an adjunct professor of Italian, knew she had to take advantage of the chance to bring the Games to her IT203: Italian Conversation and Diction I course.

“Arcadia is known for its global education experiences, and this is just one more example of that dedication,” Baita said. “The Winter Olympics were an event too good to be missed from a cultural point of view. The fact that Italy hosted them is what gave me the idea to talk about them in my conversation class, but what made it a solid topic for the course is the fact that there are so many elements involved in the Games.”

Baita and her students have taken part in several events, discussions, and watch parties around the Olympics, including:

Baita said the Games presented a unique challenge for her students. 

“The fact that this was ‘live,’ made it a bit more challenging,” she said. “In class, we often talked about events that were about to happen, or just happened, so the students had to get comfortable with that type of scenario: where what matters is not to know, or be prepared, but to be able to engage in the topic–in Italian!–while it is still happening. It was not an easy task, and I was proud to see them trying their best.”

Yasmine Smith ’28, an International Business major, knew the Olympics would bring lots to talk about with her Italian counterparts. She even stayed in touch with her partner about topics other than the Olympics, which helped her practice her language skills even more.

“This was a great way for us to make friends and learn more about another country and what their culture is like,” Smith said. “It’s one thing to take the language and possibly minor in it, but it’s another thing to want to be more involved in the language and culture.” 

Smith recalled watching the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as one of her favorite parts of the Games.

“What I took from this is that Italians love the Olympics,” she said. “It is something very special to them, and it’s evident in the way you watch the Olympics. All of the performances during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies were so interesting, different, and unique.”

For Sabrina Barrile ’26, a Computer Science major who is minoring in Italian, the Olympics had new meaning this year, as she’s never been a big fan. However, through these assignments, she’s found herself getting emotional.

“I never could have imagined how many amazing experiences could have come out of a class like this, but Professoressa Baita has a lot of fantastic ideas, and it’s making the class really immersive and enjoyable,” she said. “It is one thing to sit in a classroom and speak in a different language, but Professoressa Baita has used this class almost like a bridge to connect us to Italy. These experiences are giving us more of a global network.”

Barrile praised Baita for handling a lot of moving parts throughout the last month, including having to reschedule events because of snow.

“This level of engagement takes an immense amount of coordination on Professoressa Baita’s part, and we are all grateful for her,” she said. “Her level of passion is honestly rare to find in higher education. She doesn’t just teach the language, but she lives it and invites her students to do the same. Her enthusiasm is contagious and part of the reason I enjoy this class so much.”