Thursday, October 1, 2026
After completing his sophomore year at University of Virginia last spring, Michael Biggiani, was given an opportunity that was life-changing. The 2019 Oyster Bay High School graduate, was chosen for a virtual internship with the Africa Disability Alliance, which is in Pretoria, South Africa. A nonprofit, it’s run by people with a disability.
Biggiani’s work centered how Covid-19 affected students from the University of Malawi, especially those with disabilities.
“I was inspired by these people,” he said. “They were disabled and able to make a living and improve the lives of others. And I was surprised how there is still abuse and discrimination in the 20th century against certain groups.”
Biggiani, 20, of Oyster Bay, joined students from the university to attend webinar sessions. He learned how isolated students with disabilities were during the height of the pandemic, not only from friends, but also their caretakers and the campus hospital. And that there were less opportunities for them to find a job.
“The government didn’t speak out for them and they were trapped in their homes with no safe place to go,” Biggiani said. “Some were even abused by their families.”
Although the Covid vaccine was available, Malawi is a developing nation, making it difficult for distribution. Women and people with disabilities have an even greater problem receiving it, Biggiani learned.
Although students traditionally experience internships in person, the virtual experience had its benefits.
“I am certain that Michael would have learned a great deal by spending time working shoulder-to-shoulder with his colleagues in South Africa but the experience would have yielded different insights than his virtual internship,” said Dr. Ingrid Iksa Hakala, the director of the Virtual Global Internship program. “The fact that this internship was virtual meant that students like Michael had, ironically, greater access to opportunities to work with people doing important work in more locations around the globe.”
Hakala said she was impressed with Biggiani’s work. Describing him as a model for others to follow, she said he was open-minded and genuinely enthusiastic while working with the international students. Hakala said she admired Biggiani’s “open-hearted spirit” that he brought to the internship and his positive contributions.
His mother, Marie Biggiani, said he is naturally curious and has a lust for learning. She wasn’t surprised that he was able to connect with the disabled students because, she said, her son has always been quick to help others.
While at OBHS Biggiani was the only graduate that completed 101 additional credits in communication, global awareness, health and fitness, information technology, life-long learner and work ethics.
“He is innovative,” said Deanna Cali, who was Biggiani’s guidance counselor at OBHS, “and able to view the world in slightly different ways to create additional solutions in daily problem solving,”
He used some of these talents during his internship with ADA. The nonprofit was impressed with a proposal that Biggiani wrote for the creation of an arts, culture and spirituality program for people with disabilities. ADA submitted it to a local organization that will be providing the space where people with disabilities can express themselves creatively.
Biggiani had never written a proposal before. It was overwhelming at first, he said. Proposal writing taught him proper style, he said.
He also created a poster about the importance of getting the Covid vaccinations that will be posted in different towns.
“A lot of people have Covid there,” he said, “and there’s a lot of misinformation about the vaccine. Any way to promote the vaccine would be helpful.”
Biggiani, now moving forward with his education at the University of Virginia, said he will never forget how compassionate the disabled students and members of ADA were. “They helped others instead of themselves,” he said. “I’m inspired to consider going to South Africa once the pandemic settles.”
