Ashley DiGregorio earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Baldwin-Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. After completing her BA, she served as a youth mentor with Keys Service Corps AmeriCorps in Pittsburgh, PA. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is pursuing her Masters in Comparative & World Literature. Ashley’s research interests include contemporary Italian and American literature, migration narratives, immigration in Italy, and translation.

Elysse Longiotti received her Bachelor’s in History from Northwestern University.  After receiving her B.A., she worked as a Health and Benefits consultant for Aon Consulting in Chicago before deciding to return to graduate school. She is a currently a graduate student and FLAS fellow at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is pursuing her Masters in Italian Studies. Elysse’s areas of interest include modern Italian literature, Italian colonialism, post-colonial Italy and immigration in Italy.