In this episode, we sit down with Kevin Martìn, a 2025–26 Rome Prize Fellow in Modern Italian Studies at the American Academy in Rome and a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley. Kevin’s research looks at the sociolinguistic history of Italian colonialism in East Africa, asking what language can reveal about power, migration, colonialism, and the voices that have too often been left outside the historical record.
We talked about being first-generation college students, queerness and identity, belonging and legacy, and what it means to take risks while also giving yourself permission to enjoy the life you’ve worked so hard to create. We talked about travel, self-care, taking a few liberties, flying first class, and Kevin’s role on the Academy’s party-planning committee.
We also talked about family. Kevin shared what it meant to have his mother and aunt come to Rome and to share this extraordinary chapter of his life with them. That opened up a larger conversation about making our experiences accessible to the people who helped us get there, and about how an opportunity like the Rome Prize can ripple outward beyond the individual who receives it.
It’s a sassy, warm conversation about ambition, family, pleasure, queerness, and belonging, and about creating a life expansive enough to bring other people into the experience with you.