Tatiana Fimognari

I am currently a second-year Ph.D. student in Language and Literacies Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. I completed an M.A. in Italian Studies in 2022; my master's thesis was on Italian in The Greater Toronto Area: A Case Study on the Relationship Between Language-Education-Economy. My current research focuses on the CEFR's action-oriented approach on Italian L2 learning in a post-secondary context.

What courses did you find most valuable?

My favourite courses were the upper-year Italian courses on teaching and learning, linguistics, and cinema. They went deep into the topic and allowed me to expand my knowledge of Italian linguistics and literature. They were engaging and fun courses that helped me transition into my master’s program in Italian Studies. My favourite course, since it is the one that I found most valuable, was the independent study course I took with Professor Simone Casini in my last year of undergraduate studies. The independent study allowed me to work one-on-one with a UTM Italian professor on a mutually agreed-upon topic. Unlike the typical lecture-style setting, the independent course was research-based, meaning the entire course was centered around working on a research project under the supervision of the faculty member. The course did involve theoretical reading, along with data collection and data analysis, and in the end, I was allowed the opportunity to co-author a paper which was later published. In short, the independent study gave me invaluable experience in academia which later became useful in my M.A. program and my current PhD program. 

How did your career interests develop and/or change during your time at UTM?

I entered UTM in 2016 intending to go to teachers' college and become a French Teacher. However, upon experiencing UTM’s Research Opportunity Program (ROP) in my second year, I decided to pursue a career in academia. The ROP, like the independent study course, counted towards my course requirements, but unlike a regular course, it is centered around a research project led by a faculty member. Had I not taken the ROP course, I would have never discovered and nurtured my interest in research. The ROP program not only taught me invaluable knowledge about the field of academia, but it also gave me professional skills which can be transferable to any field of work, such as networking, writing skills, public speaking, communication, and teamwork. I enrolled in an ROP twice throughout my time at UTM and believe it greatly informed my career decisions.

How did you balance your time as a student?

Balancing multiple commitments as a student is one of the largest challenges in university. One thing that helped me balance my studies, work as an Italian teacher, research, and extracurriculars was detailed scheduling. Google calendar helped a lot with time-blocking study sessions that were planned weeks in advance. Some parts of my schedule were non-negotiable, such as a 7-8 hour sleep each night, healthy eating and daily walks and spending time with family and friends (a major de-stressor). Notice how the non-negotiables are not related to studying! But they were vital for maintaining good physical and mental health during the busy semester. Although I did make room for spending time with friends and family, studying was a huge priority, and I always ensured to have all the readings and language exercises completed before class (this helped me engage with and better understand the lectures).

What are some of your favourite memories of your undergrad experience?

One of my favourite memories of my undergraduate experience was participating in the Scholars-in-Residence (SiR) Program. The SiR allowed me to participate in a research project under the supervision of UTM faculty for one month. The study group included 5 students, and we were given the unique opportunity to live on residence on the St. George Campus and conduct research on the visibility of the Italian language in downtown Toronto. The morning was dedicated to working on the research project in our group, and in the afternoon, we participated in activities organized by the SiR committee on a variety of fun academic topics. This experience enriched my knowledge on research, and it was fun to spend time in the city and study how the Italian language is alive and represented by the Italian diaspora in Toronto.

What is a piece of advice you would give to an undergrad in your program?

One piece of advice I would give to undergrads in my program would be to be consistent in studying and practicing the language learned in class. When studying languages, cramming never helps. Hence, it is always better to study a little bit per day since everything builds on what you have previously learned. This ties into what I wrote earlier about scheduling times for studying and language practice in your calendar to make it a priority and eliminate the temptation to skip studying. I would also highly recommend building relationships with your instructors; email them with questions, talk to them about their research, and visit them during office hours). This will help you get to know them better and get the most out of your course.