Filmmaking or Acting for Film

Lillian Nguyen

Program Manager, Europe

Born and raised in Texas, Lillian attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned her B.A. in European Studies and Italian. As an undergraduate, she studied abroad in Rome, Italy and in Würzburg, Germany, which sparked her interest in international education. After visiting the Sassi in Matera and viewing the beautiful artwork in Galleria Borghese in Rome and in Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, Lillian hopes to help students have once in a lifetime experience studying abroad. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, roller-skating, and reading.

Alessia Foianesi

Resident Director

Born and raised in Florence, Alessia studied Cultural Events Management at the University of Florence with a major in History of Cinema. She interned for a cultural association in a short film festival production in Tuscany. After graduating, she moved to the United States to work as an Au Pair in New Jersey. She joined the ISA team shortly after her American experience. She plays beach volleyball in her spare time and she likes cooking for her friends. She believes that the best way to learn while traveling is by meeting locals, that is why she values the role of the ISA on site staff so much! She is looking forward to meeting ISA students and share with them her love for Florence and the Italian Culture!

Ola (Aleksandra) Smolen

Senior Academic Coordinator

Ola (Aleksandra), native to Poland, discovered the joys of working with students during her time as a Human Rights trainer for Amnesty International. She moved  to Florence in 2007 to study for a year at the Università degli Studi di Firenze through the European Student Exchange program Erasmus. She was curious to experience daily life in a foreign culture and to explore the beauty of Florence. She was so enchanted by her experience that she decided to stay in Italy after she had completed her Master's degree in Sociology. 
She likes to spend her free time immersed in marvelous realism literature. She also loves to be active – after work you can meet her running or biking around Florence!

Perla Signori

Italy Custom Program Director

Born and raised in Florence, Perla has an academic and personal background in cultural exchange. She received her degree from the Università di Firenze in Foreign Languages and Literatures. Following graduation, Perla relocated to London for one year to work and study. While there, she completed Cambridge’s Certificate. Her experience living abroad was both challenging and rewarding and served to confirm her belief that cultural immerse provides a truly unique learning experience. She worked at Kent State University in Florence before joining ISA in August 2007. She has covered different positions and worked in several areas of the Florence Office, this helped her to gain the competency across all the ISA departments during the years. Perla enjoys rollerblading, playing with her poodle dog and eating good Tuscan food!

Stefano Casati

Cultural Activities & Custom Program Coordinator

Stefano graduated from the University of Florence in Political Science and he has a PhD in Sociology. During his doctoral studies, he worked at the International Relations Office of the Faculty of Political Sciences and through this experience he had the opportunity to learn the multiple benefits associated with study abroad programs. He moved to Paris in 2012 and he enrolled as Erasmus student at Paris-Sorbonne University for his doctoral research. He strongly believes that study abroad programs and cultural exchanges are invaluable resources for students that aim to get a satisfying career and an open-minded approach to the various aspects of life. He can't wait to meet the students and do his best to make their experience in Florence as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

Sabrina Landini

Senior Cultural Activities Coordinator & Custom Programs