MELBOURNE - Zepcan holds a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in Anthropology and Linguistics, as well as a Diploma in Languages in Italian.

After graduating from The University of Melbourne last July, Nina wasted no time securing a spot in a research project focused on Artificial Intelligence.

The research focuses on how this revolutionary technology is influencing language proficiency and interpersonal communication.

“In particular,” she explained, “I’m working on voice recognition using the phonetic alphabet, to develop a chatbot for use in the aviation industry that supports pilots in communicating with their superiors.

“At the moment, we’re focusing on English, but it’s possible that in the future we’ll expand to other languages.”

Although this brilliant young woman doesn’t have Italian heritage, her love for the language has led her to build extraordinary fluency.

Her ability was reflected in her high school results along with recognition last year from Melbourne’s Dante Alighieri Society.

“For me, that was a really important moment that I wanted to celebrate with my whole family, who were there at the awards ceremony,” Zepcan recalled.

“Even my grandmother came; she’s always supported me on this journey.”

The Zepcan family is of Croatian origin; her parents arrived in Australia in 1990, just before the breakup of Yugoslavia.

At home they speak only Slavic languages; Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian.

“My parents migrated as adults, so they had to learn the language when they got to Australia,” Zepcan explained.

“In our family, we developed our own sort of language made up of Croatian words mixed with English.

“But I’m the only one at home who speaks Italian. Maybe I needed something to make me stand out, since there are four of us siblings,” she laughed.

Her connection to Italian began in high school when she enrolled in an immersive program at Gladstone Park Secondary College, where she studied history and geography in Italian.

These classes, she said, “gave me a foundation to keep studying Italian, which for me has always been like a code to crack”.

Studying subjects in a foreign language led Zepcan to adopt study methods she wouldn’t otherwise have used.

“I still remember the water cycle I learned when I was 14, because we first visualised the process through images, then explained it in English, and finally translated the explanation into Italian.”

Over the years, as her fluency developed, she no longer needed to move between the two languages. But, the learning method stuck with her.

“Not to mention, studying Italian grammar also helped me understand English grammar better,” she added.

Through Italian, Nina was able to express her creative side and “explore [her] identity from another perspective”, she revealed.

With gratitude for her teachers who supported her along the way, she recalled reading Canto  V of Dante’s Inferno, which describes the eternal storm that torments the lustful.

“In that case, I decided to write my text analysis as if I were a weather reporter; my teachers always let me express myself freely.”

Letting her imagination run wild also helped Nina memorise subject matter more easily, thanks to the lateral thinking that comes with creative effort.

An exchange trip to Reggio Emilia in Year 10 gave her the chance to get to know Italy and its culture while putting her language skills to the test.

It was an experience that convinced her to continue her studies and sparked the idea of moving to Italy for a period in the future.

“Every time I’m there on holiday, I feel at home, so I want to give myself the chance to live in Italy,” she revealed.

“I also don’t want to lose the ability to speak and write [in Italian].”

Zepcan is a true ambassador for languages, convinced they help you “tap into a different stream of consciousness, which in turn connects you to that culture; in my case, to Italian”.

There’s something deeply powerful, she says, in the idea of being able to connect with others. This idea is all the more more significant in Australia, given its distance and geographic isolation from much of the world.

“At uni, the Italian class is the one where people make the most connections and friendships, where everyone is sociable, where everyone knows each other,” she explained.

“They’re open-minded people who are happy to share. I’ve made some amazing friendships through the course; my friends and I send each other messages in Italian, and we’ve created a collaborative playlist where everyone adds their favourite Italian songs.”

Continual personal growth and the value of knowledge are some of the foundations Nina Zepcan is building her life upon.

“To all students of Italian, I say: don’t give up, learn from your mistakes, because in the end, growth doesn’t come from grades,” she advised.

“What really matters is the process you go through in learning. Studying a second language is the kind of knowledge that stays with you for life.”