Milan, Italy, came under the global spotlight this year as host of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
As the city drew international attention, Columbia College senior Paul Morpurgo was preparing for a major transition of his own: a return to the European city where he spent spurts of his childhood.
“I knew I wanted to move to Italy post-grad and take advantage of my unique position of knowing the culture there,” said Morpurgo, whose father emigrated from Italy to the United States at the age of 26. “I needed a way to make the move meaningful, so I decided to look into master’s programs.”
That search led him to Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, where he was accepted into its Master in Communication for Business, Media & Culture program and will begin this fall.
At Columbia College, Morpurgo will graduate from the Robert W. Plaster School of Business on Saturday, May 2, with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and minors in Communication Studies and Management. His time on campus has been defined by both academic and extracurricular involvement.
A member of the Cougar men’s soccer team, Morpurgo also immersed himself in the Business Competition Team, an experience he describes as unexpectedly transformative.
“What started as a spontaneous decision to try something challenging and enhance my resume became one of my more formative experiences as a whole,” Morpurgo said.
Through his experiences with the Business Competition Team and involvement in Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), Morpurgo has traveled with fellow students to competitions in San Francisco and Louisville, Kentucky.
Last year at DECA’s International Competition, Morpurgo and his teammate were finalists for the Business-to-Business Marketing event and placed ninth overall on the global level.
This April, he was an individual finalist in the Sales Management and Leadership international event.
“Dean Jon Moberly and Professor Gina Singleton both have helped me a lot with DECA,” Morpurgo said. “They care so much about their students and invest so much into the Business Competition Team. Without them, I would not have been able to have such an amazing experience.”
Additionally, Morpurgo credits faculty member Rudy Araujo for challenging him in Business Ethics and Economics classes, making him think beyond the surface level.
“I appreciate this pursuit to push students and challenge them to their fullest potential with enthusiasm,” Morpurgo said. “I would not have cared as much if I did not feel that he or any of my other professors cared as much as they all did.”
Morpurgo’s favorite memory from Columbia College has been the “web of friends” he has had the privilege to create.
As a graduate of Hickman High School in Columbia, he was glad to find a second home that was close to home.
“I enjoy getting to play soccer and having such a good network of friends and staff at a smaller school, all while being next door neighbors with a big SEC school like Mizzou,” Morpurgo said. “You get the best of both worlds.”
And soon, his world will be getting larger as he heads overseas to reconnect with his roots.
“For me, the nerves and excitement are complementary and necessary. I knew I would feel this way,” Morpurgo said. “But I am ready for this next step.”
