Although she was born in Torino, Italy, Erica Bertolotto considers Durham to be her U.S. hometown. Her interest in development work may have been triggered by a visit to Bangkok, Thailand, with her family when she was 13. It was her first exposure to poverty. “I have always been interested in social justice and culture,” she said, “and spending time in developing countries during college confirmed that was what I wanted to do.” In her current position with Teach a Man to Fish, she likes that it is a very small organization so that “I have the freedom to come up with ideas and try to implement them, and I can see the direct impact of my work.” In addition, “I get to travel!” The other side of her work, however, is that “there are too many things I can’t influence or affect.”
Read Erica Bertolotto’s alum commentary When Culture Shock can be Good for You>>
