Meet the PDOs

Jamie Luo was the Research and Writing PDO at the Office of Academic Support (OAS). She is a freshman at NYU who is majoring in Economics and History. As a returning PDO at the OAS, she acted as a bridge between the Writing Center and students, making sure that each student feels supported in their academic endeavors. She contributed to designing and hosting workshops for the Writing Center. Jamie collaborated with representatives from the Wasserman Center to create a workshop that focused on the basics of resume building. This semester, Jamie conducted interviews with each PDO to gain deeper insight into their backgrounds and the projects they are working on. By individually talking with each PDO, Jamie was able to write these biographies, which showcase each PDO and all their hard work! 

Claudia Miljkovic was the Italian language PDO. She is a sophomore at NYU who is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Italian and Business Studies. Claudia has family from Italy, but grew up in the United States. She originally applied to the PDO Program to learn more about Italian culture as a way to connect with her heritage, and did so by collaborating on the designing and hosting of events that center around what it means to be an Italian. For instance, she partnered with the Italian tutor to create an infographic that explains and counters Italian stereotypes (check it out here!) To further expand on that project, Claudia worked with NYU Florence staff members that grew up in Italy to host an event where students could ask questions about Italian culture, and give perspectives on the differences between American and Italian culture. Throughout her time as a PDO, Claudia looked forward to working with and learning from other PDOs, as well as improving her Italian language skills.

Alice Zhang was the PDO for the Library. Originally from NYU Shanghai, she is a junior majoring in the humanities. Alice worked on expanding the library’s collection by diversifying the selection of books offered. She surveyed students to figure out what books they would like to see at the library, and from there, created a tentative list of different types of literature and bilingual versions of books to be added to the collection. The first batch featured Chinese literature, and also included Chinese translations of Italian works. Alice also contributed to the curation of books for the display shelves, and was particularly happy with the outcome of the “Midterm Breather” themed display, which featured relaxing, humorous books for students to de-stress from their exams. Alice previously worked in the library at NYU Shanghai, but she mainly focused on independent administrative tasks, and was excited to work with different people and collaborate on team projects. 

Ilian Conteras was the Social Media and Communications PDO at the Office of Academic Support (OAS). She is a sophomore from NYU Abu Dubai who is majoring in Visual Arts and Film and Media. Her background in graphic design was useful in designing internal signage for Villa Ulivi classrooms, and her background in marketing aided her work in content creation for social media platforms. Through her work, she enjoyed having the creative freedom and liberty to try out new designs and strategies. Ilian was excited to work with her fellow PDOs to learn from their different backgrounds and skills. This semester, Ilian interviewed faculty to learn more about their courses and created a video spotlight series. Ilian was excited to work with the OAS as she noted that social media positions are usually individual jobs, while her PDO allowed her to collaborate with a team. 

Tamara Bueno was a PDO for the Digital Studio. She is a junior at NYU majoring in Interactive Media Arts and Computer Science. At the Digital Studio, Tamara enjoyed expressing her creativity and artistic skills through her various projects. For example, Tamara decided to film a video of NYU Florence on a rainy day to show how beautiful the campus was. This led her to work with the Digital Studio to film a “day in the life” type video, which showcased NYU Florence from a student’s perspective. Additionally, Tamara collaborated with Villa La Pietra to work on implementing interactive QR codes throughout exhibits, allowing visitors to scan and listen to particular displays. As a PDO, Tamara hoped to become a better graphic designer, video editor, and looked forward to collaborating on more projects. Tamara found the community at the Digital Studio to be extremely artistic and supportive, and looked forward to working with them each day! 

Chloe Rodriguez was a PDO for the Digital Studio. She is a junior at NYU Tisch who is majoring in photography and film, and minoring in politics. At the Digital Studio, Chloe worked on updating faculty and staff portraits and aided in content creation for NYU Florence’s social media. In the past, she worked with NYU Tisch’s equipment department, and looked forward to learning more about different types of film and photography equipment. After college, Chloe is interested in a career in technology assistance, photography, or film, and felt that the PDO program was a great opportunity for her to expand upon her digital skills. This semester, Chloe used her creativity to help promote and educate students on the different types of services offered by the Digital Studio. 

Aimee Yu was a PDO for the Office of Student Life (OSL). At NYU, she majors in Data Science with a minor in Public Health. As a PDO, she was responsible for collaborating with student clubs and organizations to better student life experiences and engagement at NYU Florence. Additionally, she helped staff OSL trips and activities for all students to enjoy. Back in New York, Amy is heavily involved with student clubs and brought experience in event planning and student engagement methods. Amy joined the PDO program to help her grow professionally. She enjoyed having the opportunity to work with students to make sure that they had the best experience possible in Florence! 

Noemi Enriquez was a PDO for the Office of Student Life (OSL). She is a sophomore at NYU and is currently majoring in Nursing. As a PDO, she contributed with content creation for the OSL, which is posted on NYU Florence’s Instagram. Through her work, she was able to develop her social media and marketing skills, as well as continue her hobby of working with social media. This semester, Noemi hoped to bring a student’s perspective to NYU Florence’s Instagram, through projects like having students share their spring break adventures. In her major, Noemi does not often get to work with social media as often as she would like, and saw the PDO program as a great way to further her digital marketing skills.

Phoebe Price was a PDO at Villa La Pietra.. She is a Junior from Williams College who is currently majoring in Art History. As a returning PDO at Villa La Pietra, she was excited about taking on a bigger role at the Villa. She was responsible for giving and scheduling tours as well as continuing to work on curatorial projects like the ongoing Growing Up at the Villa Project. Phoebe hopes to further her work in museums and curatorial work after she graduates, and was excited to continue her work in an Italian museum this semester. This semester, she learned more about the collection and gained concrete skills that relate to her future career, such as TMS collections and conservation software. 

Lucy Harmon was a PDO at Villa La Pietra. She is a junior at NYU who is majoring in Art History and Museum and Curatorial Studies. At the Villa, she helped lead tours, create exhibits, and contributed to creating content for the Villa’s social media platforms. Through her past work experiences, she gained a deep appreciation for museums and a heightened spatial awareness, which helped her in her projects at Villa La Pietra. This semester, she worked with the Acton Family’s postcard collection, and helped rehouse the images in the museum. Lucy gained hands-on experience at the Villa, furthering her curatorial skills, and learned more about museum studies.

Dominic Wiharso was a PDO for Villa La Pietra. He is originally from Rhode Island, but is now studying Art History and Visual Art at Columbia University. At Villa La Pietra, he spent much of his time leading tours of the museum and archiving the vast collections. He worked on the Growing Up at the Villa exhibition which detailed the lives of William and Harold Acton. Dominic initially chose to apply to the PDO position because he was drawn to the remarkable collection and history of the museum. He was excited about becoming more acquainted with 19th and 20th century archival works and learning more about Renaissance Villas.