Giacomo Ferioli, or Jack, as his friends call him, is a senior at Desert Oasis. Chances are, you have seen him in the halls, or maybe even on the basketball court. But Ferioli is not just any student here at DO – he’s an exchange student from Italy, a varsity athlete, and a professional videographer.
Life in Italy
Ferioli is from Turin, a city in the northwestern Piedmont region of Italy. He lives there with his two younger brothers, his parents, and two cats. Turin is known for its historical architecture, and its scenic location, right next to the Alps.
“Turin was a completely different city compared to Las Vegas; still a big city, but smaller.” Ferioli took only the bus or a bicycle to get around, as everything in the city was close enough that he didn’t need a car. “It wouldn’t take me more than half an hour to get wherever I needed.”
“My school was smaller,” said Ferioli. His 1500-student school, the biggest in Turin, is tiny in comparison to the more than 3,000 students at Desert Oasis. He also says school was much more difficult back home, and that he would spend a minimum of 2 hours a day devoted strictly to studying.
“Nobody works because school takes too much time,” explained Ferioli. “ During the week I would be very busy, so my only ‘free’ moment was basketball practice.”
Ferioli has been playing basketball for almost five years now; it’s his favorite sport. Basketball isn’t the only sport he’s got experience with, though.
“I’ve tried a lot of different things… Swimming, skiing, snowboarding,” Ferioli details. Living so close to the Alps, he spent a lot of time skiing and snowboarding on some of the best mountains in Europe.
While there’s not much time for Ferioli to work, he manages to get some time to practice his favorite hobby on the side: Videography.
This year will be Ferioli’s third year as the Italian high school singing competition ToVision’s Communications and Marketing Editor. He films and uploads content onto the program’s social media pages.
The competition, reminiscent of Eurovision, is gaining popularity in Italy, and has recently spread from Turin to other cities, like Milan and Florence.
With little free time throughout the week between school, basketball, and videography gigs, Ferioli could never wait for the weekend. “On the weekends, especially Friday and Saturday nights, I would go out with my friends.” Ferioli and his friends often headed out to town on weekend nights to eat, walk around, and enjoy the city’s nightlife.
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
When joining his exchange program, Ferioli had no idea what he was in for. Not being able to specifically choose where he wanted to go to school in the United States, he looked to his other friends who had gone to study abroad.
“Most of the students doing the exchange year end up in very remote places,” explains Ferioli. Some of his friends ended up in more rural areas like Washington or Kentucky, and he was quick to say that he was hopeful he would end up somewhere a little more populated.
“I felt very lucky when I got selected to live here…I was super excited knowing that I would have experienced life in a big American city.”
Ferioli departed from Milan to make his way to New York, and then finally Las Vegas. He endured a more than 14-hour trip. “The actual trip was so long…I had the middle seat- I couldn’t fit my legs, it was so bad!”
Almost immediately, Ferioli noticed some differences. “The first thing I remember- the heat. It was July 26th so it was so hot.” Ferioli also described how he noticed the famous city skyline. “I remember seeing the sphere up for Summer League.”
The NBA’s summer league, which took place in early July, is an annual off-season tournament for NBA teams to test out different line-ups than they use during the actual season. Ferioli was excited to see the advertisements and know that he was right around the corner from some of the biggest names in the NBA.
Now, Ferioli has been in Las Vegas for more than six months. He’s seen a lot here, and he loves it! “This is the center of all the entertainment in the world; there’s so much stuff that you would only see in the United States, and Las Vegas is the center,” explains Ferioli. “You can just drive 20 minutes and have Bruno Mars on one side, Katy Perry on the other side, and Maroon 5 on another side.”
With events like the Summer League, Formula 1, and the Superbowl, Ferioli feels lucky to be in a city with so much entertainment, and he can’t wait to see more. “I would like to see a Cirque Du Soleil show, or maybe if I was 21 there would be more options,” he joked.
Not only has he had the chance to explore Sin City, but he’s had the chance to meet many new friends who are also from abroad. Ferioli says there’s a large community of exchange students in Las Vegas, all studying abroad for the school year. “I know around 50… I also had the possibility to meet people from my country.”
Ferioli says he has met quite a few students from Italy, including someone who lives in the same town and goes to a school near his house. He’s also become close friends with a student from Rome.
With both of them being from Italy, Ferioli says they developed a close friendship. “The fact that we are both from Italy and are both here on the other side of the world, we got really close really quickly.”
Ferioli has also met other exchange students through his host family, the household that takes care of Ferioli and his housemates during their time abroad.
“My host family has eight components and I’ve found myself going from being the eldest, in my Italian family, to the youngest here; so kind of shocking at first,” explains Ferioli.
With two younger brothers at home, finding himself as the youngest was difficult. After a few months, though, Ferioli was grateful. “I found out how nice it is to talk with older siblings.”
Being a Diamondback
At Desert Oasis, Ferioli has continued with his passion for basketball, where he is #12 on the varsity basketball team.
“In Italy, we always look at the states as the main basketball scene, where the NBA is…I knew the level was very high, and I wanted to challenge myself and see how high I could play,” explains Ferioli. His challenges are certainly paying off, as he was recently named MVP in their game against Southeast Career and Technical Academy, a game in which Desert Oasis won 78-30.
Ferioli has also kept up with his videography and photography hobby, where he’s been able to do a few “passion” projects with friends at school, as well as taking photos of the homecoming football game.
Leaving Las Vegas
After he graduates from American High School, Ferioli will return to Italy to finish school.
“I have one more year of high school actually,” he explains, “because Italian schools are 13 years, not 12.”
After high school in Italy, Ferioli plans to continue his education and go to college or university in Europe to study marketing. He also wants to continue to work on his photography.
“Here I had many unique possibilities; I was able to practice my photography passion way more than before, and sports-wise, I think I’ve improved by playing at a good level. I was also able to experience things that I would have never even dreamt of,” says Ferioli. “On the other hand, being far from home took away from me the possibility to hang out with my lifetime friends and family, but I think, for how things are going over here…it’s totally worth it.”
