Frankie Panebianco

Meet Frankie Panebianco. He is passionate about exploring other cultures and helping people. And if you meet him on campus, he might just break into song — he enjoys singing and dancing, too.

When the Philadelphia native, born into a large, Italian-American family, was searching for the right college, he was intent on finding one that would enable him to pursue his varied interests.

Towson University did just that.

“Towson is so well rounded and so diverse,” says Panebianco. “Everything I love, I’m able to find here.”

A nursing major, with a minor in Italian, Panebianco is also a member of the Honors College, president of the Italian club and a study abroad veteran — Rome, of course. Plus, he has been known to perform with the Men’s Chorus and show off his salsa moves in Latin American dance club.

“ Towson is so well rounded and so diverse. Everything I love, I’m able to find here. ”

Nursing and Italian might not be an obvious combination, but for Panebianco, they’re a perfect fit.

“Experiencing different cultures helps me as a nurse,” says the senior, noting that working in a hospital he will encounter patients and families from many different backgrounds. “Study abroad makes you more empathetic and aware.”

Knowing Italian, which is similar to Spanish, will be an asset too, in a job that requires him to treat and comfort a growing population of folks who primarily speak languages other than English.

And how will Panebianco’s artistic side fit in with his career?

Who knows, but perhaps patients will be treated to snippets of Italian operas from their worldly health care provider. After all, music, as well as medicine, heals.