Lauren Surovi
Credentials: surovi@wisc.edu
Position title: Special Projects Student Coordinator
Email: surovi@wisc.edu
Areas of Specialty:
Italian Studies PhD
Academic Background:
B.A., International Relations & Italian (Syracuse University); M.A., Italian Studies (Middlebury College)
Areas of Interest:
Politics / Higher Education in Prison / the League of Women Voters of Dane County / reading / cooking / biking around Madison / long car rides back to the East coast so I can catch up on my favorite podcasts / traveling / laughing with family, friends, and my partner
Personal Biography:
I was born and raised in Eastern Pennsylvania. Although summer is my favorite season, I ended up in two very cold places after high school: Syracuse, NY for my undergraduate degree, and Middlebury, VT for my Master’s. I was also fortunate to spend one year abroad in Florence, Italy while completing my M.A. coursework. I loved Italian Studies so much that I decided to come to Madison to do a PhD in Italian Literature — another very cold place! When I’m not reading and writing about very old books for my PhD dissertation (on Italian Renaissance theater), I like to travel, cook, read (new) books, and make my friends laugh.
Favorite Quote:
Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined. —Toni Morrison
What every student should know about the UW campus:
There are lakes here!! (I didn’t know this until I drove across the country and arrived in Madison for the very first time.) Also: there are people all over campus who are here to help you; you just have to know where to look!