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Alumni Story

March 2016

Barbara (Giuliano) Di Fabio ’04

By Keith Middlemark ’04

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Barbara (Giuliano) Di Fabio began her studies at Saint Leo University in 2000, majoring in political science with a minor in criminology. While at Saint Leo, she deepened her passion for politics, foreign affairs, and foreign cultures, with the goal of promoting a sense of community and respect among different cultures and faiths.

In addition to her studies, she served as secretary of Saint Leo’s Omega Epsilon chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, and represented Saint Leo as a student member of the Tampa Bay Committee on Foreign Relations. She also served as secretary of the International Student’s Association in its inaugural year.

“Saint Leo University changed my life in the most profound of ways,” she said. “My time there directly influenced the course that my life has taken. I grew as a human being. I still remember the words of my criminology professor, Barry Glover: ‘Never compromise on your integrity.’ I live by those words and continually strive for personal development and excellence in everything that I do.”

In 2003, she decided to study abroad at Saint Leo’s partner school, John Cabot University in Rome, Italy, a decision for which she thanks her work-study supervisor, Paige Ramsey-Hamacher.

“Paige ignited in me a curiosity in the world and cultures around me. Foreign countries weren’t limited to just travel brochures or TV programs. I could go out and let the world be my classroom,” she said.

While she was in Rome, she met the man whom she would marry and thus decided to remain in Italy. She graduated from Saint Leo University in 2004 and her Bachelor of Arts, which was followed by a Master of Arts in international relations and conflict resolution from the American Public University. After working as an expert translator in Italian and English with the company One Hour Translation, she now works along with her husband as a licensed insurance agent, specializing in English-language insurance consultancy in their family-owned and operated insurance agency outside of Rome. She still remains passionate about foreign cultures, being fluent in Italian, with an advanced knowledge of Spanish and working knowledge of Russian, Japanese, Arabic, German, and Greek.

Barbara takes stewardship very seriously and is involved with endometriosis awareness, participating with Team Italy in the Worldwide EndoMarch, raising awareness about this disease that affects millions of women around the world. She also sings in her church’s choir and participates in interfaith initiatives between Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.

Regarding her time at Saint Leo, she said, “I still maintain the highest respect and gratitude to my professors, especially my academic advisor, Professor Marco Rimanelli, and political science professor, Dr. Hudson Reynolds, and all my colleagues from Saint Leo. I made friendships there that have lasted a lifetime. I truly believe that my experiences there, both academic and extra-curricular, helped shape me into the person that I am today.”