After graduating with dual degrees in geography/planning and history at Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 17, Nick Bonfiglio will embark on his next journey, New York City.
Bonfiglio started at UToledo as an education student but changed his major after realizing that he was less interested in teaching — but more interested in the bigger picture.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2022 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at fall commencement.
“I wanted to be more focused on improvements in education, what improvements in education look like and how to look at the larger scale,” Bonfiglio said.
Halfway through his sophomore year, he decided to change his major to geography and planning because he was interested in what his father — a geographer — did for work. He later added a second major in history.
Now wrapping up his final year, Bonfiglio was chosen as one of eight — and the only American — to intern for the Permanent Observer Mission of The Holy See to the United Nations from January until May 2023.
He will serve as a liaison to the Holy See, attending meetings and events at the United Nations, and taking notes to be sent back to the Holy See’s main office in the Vatican. He will also be involved in researching topics in relation to the Roman Catholic Church’s stance on the topics.
“I was looking for ways to serve the Catholic Church and I was trying to see if I had any skills that could be applicable to something that I admired so much,” Bonfiglio said.
Bonfiglio
Although he found the opportunity on a whim from a Google search, Bonfiglio was more than prepared to apply, thanks to his education and those supporting him at UToledo.
Dr. Barry Jackisch, director of UToledo’s Roger Ray Institute for the Humanities and visiting associate professor of history, observed Bonfiglio’s journey to find his passion.
“He has taken several of my courses and added so much to the classroom experience,” Jackisch said. “We have also spoken at length outside of class and I have come to know him as a concerned citizen of the world. I’m very proud of this accomplishment”
Opportunities are abundant for Bonfiglio after finishing his internship. Long term, he is interested in continuing his education to become a professor and work in higher education.
For now, though, he remembers how far he’s come in the past five years.
“College wasn’t easy for me when I was a freshman and I just went to class and I went straight home,” Bonfiglio said. “I wasn’t doing super well academically, but I was able to improve on that by building relationships with people and creating a support system for myself.
“That turned out to be a very enriching experience and very great thing that helped me grow and helped others around me grow.”
