Local resident presents at Wellesley conference

WELLESLEY, Mass - Milford native, Stephanie Gilardi recently shared her experiences as an intern at the European Union, XXL Forum and Festival of European Film in Vienna, Austria at Wellesley College’s annual Tanner Conference. A senior at Wellesley, Gilardi is a graduate of Delaware Valley High School and the daughter of Joseph and Mary Jane Gilardi of Milford. Gilardi’s presentation, “Projecting Populations: Film as an Instrument of Cross Cultural Communication in the European Union,” centered on her experience at this festival, a part of an EU cultural initiative. She spent a year working on coordinating the festival and forum, served as a city guide for visiting directors, and translated resolutions, speeches by EU representatives and the festival program. “My involvement in the Tanner Conference has given me the opportunity to reflect on the impact of last year’s learning experiences on my academic goals,” Gilardi said. At Wellesley, Gilardi has served as news editor and staff writer at Wellesley News, received NEWMAC All-Conference rowing honors, and studied abroad in Irkutsk, Russia and Vienna, Austria. She also works as a writing tutor and is a member of literary society Zeta Alpha. She is planning to teach English abroad before going to graduate school for film studies. Now in its fifth year, the Tanner Conference features student presentations of learning that occurs through internships, service learning experiences, and independent study. Students work with faculty sponsors on their presentations. Since 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in providing an excellent liberal-arts education for women who will make a difference in the world. Its 500-acre campus near Boston is home to 2,300 undergraduate students from all 50 states and 68 countries. For more information, go to www.wellesley.edu .