Profile: Nina Caraluzzi
On any given day if you enter the Student Center Restaurant, one particular person will impress you: Nina Caraluzzi, a student intern for Sodexo at Western Connecticut State University. Caraluzzi, 21, grew up with her family in Bethel, Conn. She is the youngest of three sisters, who are alumni of WCSU, which influenced her to join the community to continue tradition.
Sodexo is the campus dining service for the university. They provide daily meals for residents, commuters and staff. Caraluzzi has worked for Sodexo since her freshman year, where her charismatic and energetic personality has won her supervisors’ appreciation.
“We love Nina, she is very energetic, creative, and very kind,” said Catering Director Elaina Mendes.
She decided to apply for an internship at the advice for one of her sisters. “I almost didn’t,” she said. She enjoys it even more because her supervisors are nice, supportive and caring.
“I like it,” she said with a smile, “I mean I love cooking." She loves cooking any food, but is most comfortable cooking Italian food since she’s 100 percent Italian. She also loves to bake and make healthy food. Her favorite food is eggplant parmigiana.
She decided to major in Interactive Marketing, and while taking her general requirement, she realized that she wanted to have a a minor in Management.
As a student intern, Caraluzzi is in charge of doing the promotions and events, which involves a lot of coordinating and details. She is the president of Sodexo's culinary council, who meets to discuss things that students want to change. She also handles decorating, making copies and updating its social media.
Over the summer, Sodexo was getting ready for the new Student Center Restaurant located in the university’s Midtown Campus. Nina created the logos and storyboards and figured out the new upcoming changes for this fall semester.
“I just help support the renovation process,” she said. She’s not only there for moral support, because if Sodexo needs her to do or create anything, she is there to do it.
As all of the students and staff are trying to adapt to the new Student Center Restaurant, there have been a lot of comments. Some of the students like it; others don’t. Nina is more in between.
“It’s complicated because, I mean, I like it and I don't at the same time,” she admitted. She feels like everything has been rushed and it has been frustrating for all the students. But she likes the food and the new interior design and hopes it’ll stay that way.
Caraluzzi said that there’s limited options. “This is not The Cheesecake Factory. There’s only so much that Sodexo can do,” she said.
Sodexo will change the menu every month, letting the students taste different food. As of now, they want to continue focusing on the new system and trying to adjust to it before adding anything else, but eventually, they believe everyone will get the hang of it.
College can be stressful, especially when someone has to balance school, work and other duties. Caraluzzi is beyond grateful for her family, as well as her supervisors and managers because they are always there for her to listen to her problems. “Probably too much,” she said laughing. She is also grateful for her friends along with her boyfriend.
Nina has many goals. After graduation, she would like to get her Master’s in Business and then find a job as a marketing manager. In the near future, she would like to hopefully be in a management position in her career field. She also hopes to have a family, husband, kids, and money. She would like to go back to Italy and travel to some of the most beautiful places on earth with her loved ones.
