Federica developed an interest in technology very early in life which led her to study and pursue a career in the typically male-dominated STEM field. After completing her undergraduate degree at Marist College, she enrolled in Marist’s graduate program for Science in Information Systems and Security, where she received her Master of Science degree in 2019, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

By participating in CCF’s Scholars Internship Program in 2018, Federica was given the opportunity to work and learn at Fiserv, a global provider of financial services technology. Taking the first steps into her career as a Global Cyber Security Intern at Fiserv, she performed Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) tasks by analyzing collected data and distributing those findings to key stakeholders and identifying and responding to possible gaps to mitigate risks and vulnerabilities. She returned to the team at Fiserv in May 2019 as a full-time Cyber Analyst. The dynamic nature of the cyber field, constantly changing and expanding, has motivated Federica to become certified in the industry. With that, she hopes to continue to form new relationships, build on existing ones, and contribute to Fiserv’s overall strategic vision of emerging technology.

Aside from her work Federica was selected to be the on-going NY/NJ Chapter Leader for Fiserv’s Young Professionals (YoPro) Council. She hosts events that foster both personal and professional development, well-being in the community, and social networking through the workforce. Like the CCF’s Young Adults Auxiliary (YAA), YoPro provides a channel to further one’s philanthropic passions. Federica says, "being a member of CCF’s YAA has also allowed me to share and learn from experiences among young professionals in all careers, as well as connect with others who share the same cultural background as I do."

Both of Federica’s parents were born in Italy, and she prides herself on being a first-generation Italian American. Her family always made it a point to attend the Columbus Day Parade every October while she was growing up. She says, “watching the Parade festivities from the sidelines, Italian flags waving in every direction, and listening to invited special guests speak a tongue native to me, I felt at home and part of the community ever since a I was little girl."

Federica counts becoming a CCF Scholarship Recipient as one of the most rewarding privileges of her life and says that it brought great honor to her family. She notes that her involvement with CCF has been life-changing and provides a place for her to continually reinforce her values and enrich her Italian roots. Her goal is to establish herself in her career so that one day she can give back and sponsor a college student. She says, “Marist College equipped me with invaluable tools to both personally and professionally develop my career, but the Columbus Citizens Foundation provided me with the platform to succeed.”