Ciao, my name is John Mazza! I am a junior civil engineering major and studied abroad in Florence in the spring of 2020. The beginning of my abroad experience was incredible because I participated in the Sustainability on Trial Signature Seminar. While on the Seminar, I was able to travel to Norway, Finland and Sweden while getting credit for the class as well. While I was in those countries, I was able to mush huskies, visit a reindeer farm and snowshoe up a glacier! I made so many memories and met so many people on the seminar and I will cherish these moments for the rest of my life.
After the seminar was finished, I began the semester in Florence. When I first settled in with my roommate and host family, they were incredibly welcoming to us. My host family was one of the best experiences that I had in Italy. Although they did not speak a lot of English, we were still able to communicate very well and they were a very nice couple. We ate dinner together every night and the meals were like events (the food was absolutely delicious). I still keep in contact with my host family to this day and I am so glad that I was able to meet them. In addition to my host family, I was able to meet so many people as a result of studying abroad. Many of the people that I met were from all over the world and most of them were students, but I was introduced to such a diverse background of people.
I chose the Florence program because I knew that I wanted to go abroad to Italy and I was able to take my engineering classes there while keeping my same expected graduation date. Studying engineering at the Florence Center was valuable because I was introduced to a new perspective on engineering courses. There were slight variations in the way we learned engineering concepts which I am grateful for being able to learn in this way. I truly felt like a gained much more knowledge beyond my engineering courses as well.
In addition, I knew that I wanted to go to Italy because I am Italian in heritage and I wanted to spend more time there to truly see the culture which I was able to do in my time there. Many advisors and staff in the Florence center were very helpful when I told them my situation and major so everything worked out perfectly and my questions were never left unanswered. I also knew that studying in a central region of Europe would allow me the experience to travel to many other countries. While I was abroad, I spent time in 9 countries but a few of the highlights were my ski trip to Switzerland and a weekend in Dublin. I skied in Zermatt which was the mountain that my dad skied at during his study abroad program years ago. I also spent a weekend in Dublin and took a day trip to see the cliffs of Moher. These are two of the favorite trips that I have taken in my life and I will remember them forever.
Overall, looking back on my time abroad I can truly say that I had a life changing experience. I was able to gain a new perspective on my culture and the way that I live my life. Seeing how engineering was taught in another country was also very interesting and a valuable skill that not all engineers are exposed to. I want to carry everything that I learned abroad with me and I plan on returning to Europe very soon because it is truly an incredible place. I still have many places to visit on my bucket list so I think that I will be back very soon. I am also deciding on going abroad to get an international MBA after my undergraduate degree is complete so that I can see more of Europe and travel to places that I have never seen before. Arrivederci!
John Mazza ’22
Civil Engineering
Florence Center
¡Hola! My name is Miranda Carlo, I am a junior at Syracuse University, majoring in International Relations and I will be graduating in the fall of 2021 semester. I studied abroad during my spring semester of 2020 in a Syracuse Abroad program in Santiago, Chile. I always knew, since high school, that I wanted to study abroad and that is one of the reasons why I chose Syracuse University. After I researched the different programs that Syracuse offers, I was between the World Partner program in Brazil and the Syracuse abroad program in Chile. I was debating between these two because I knew I wanted to go to South America, but the Chile program is completely taught in Spanish and Brazil is in English. I was extremely nervous and not confident at all with my Spanish, but I ultimately chose Chile because I really wanted to learn the language. In addition, this program has many other cool aspects such as the Signature Seminar and the Cuenca Immersion program in Ecuador. In addition, this program works very well with my major, all the classes I took were able to count for my major. I was not only studying cultures and politics that I was interested in but also allowed me to advance my academic progress.
Since my program was cut very short due to COVID-19, the majority of my semester abroad was spent in Cuenca, Ecuador for the immersion program. This part of the program is only required if you do not have all the necessary levels of Spanish completed and, as a sophomore, I knew I wanted to do this program to improve my Spanish for Chile. My cohorts and I took one Spanish class and did so many awesome activities set up by CEDEI (the school name in Ecuador) such as cooking classes, dance classes and long day trips on the weekends, my favorite one was when we hiked a mountain. We all had so much fun and were able to become more confident in using our Spanish.
I truly changed as a person from when I studied abroad. It was the first time I traveled by myself and I had to adapt to a lot of new situations that I have never experienced before. I feel like I have become more independent, less insecure and more confidant that I can handle uncomfortable situations. Overall, I always considered myself a pretty open-minded person who understand all different opinions and aspects of life; however, studying abroad has opened my eyes to so many new, ideas and perspectives that I would never have thought of before. I have never had so much fun learning and becoming a better version of myself.
There were many factors that led me to choose to study abroad in Madrid. I wanted to go to a program by myself (my roommates went to Florence) where I could make new friends and have my own experience. I also wanted to go a country that was warm and in Western Europe, so I could travel around that area more accessibly. Spain happened to check all of those boxes, which made it the perfect place for me to go.
My second class was Sociology of Sports. As a huge sports fan myself it was incredible learning about Spanish specific sports and their role in the global world. Because class sizes are small and tight knit over the summer, I became very close friends with my classmates. Since the class was small, our discussions became much more in-depth and were tailored to our specific interests in sports. My favorite part was the different field trips we would take, once we went to the park to observe the various fitness activities of people and another for another trip, we analyzed a soccer match.
Having the opportunity to study in another country, no matter the length, is always a worthwhile experience. You will constantly be learning as much about yourself as you will your host country. This was an experience that I would not have given up for the world, and it continues to push me out of my comfort zone to this day. With Spain down, and only 99 countries left to visit, and I know whatever country I end up in next will be exciting.
Hello! My name is Grace Landis and I am a senior at the University of Southern California, graduating in Spring 2021. I am double majoring in Psychology and The Classics, with a minor in Performance Science. I chose to go abroad with Syracuse Florence because I love Italy and the program has a variety of courses related to The Classics and art. I also have a familial connection with the program as my mom and aunt also studied abroad with Syracuse Florence! Living in Italy was the perfect opportunity to practice my Italian and to study some of the most beautiful pieces of art.
Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 my study abroad experience was cut short, but it showed me how important it is to make as many memories as possible while abroad because you never know what could happen. Florence is one of my favorite places in the world and I can’t wait to go back and visit my host family again. My study abroad experience showed me that I truly love traveling and I love Europe so I plan to go back as soon as I can and hopefully I will be able to live there in the future.
I knew that I wanted to study abroad in Sydney, Australia before I knew where I wanted to go to college. I love to travel, am an adventure-seeker, and had heard nothing but amazing things about the city from people who had studied there in years prior. This is where I was going and nothing could change that – not where my friends were going, not where my academic advisor advised me to go, and not the fact that I would be across the world with a 16-hour time change from my home. On January 1, 2020, I got off the plane in Sydney, Australia and never looked back. After close to three months of experiencing pure happiness, I truly understood why people say to “go with your gut.”
Hi all! I’m Caroline, a senior at Colgate University where I major in Religion and minor in Economics. In the fall of 2019, I was fortunate enough to participate in Syracuse Abroad’s Exploring Central Europe semester program. The focus of this program was history, memory, and identity. We studied Central Europe through these lenses, looking at its early history through now with a special focus on the Holocaust and the Soviet regime. As a non-Syracuse student, I was initially nervous about joining a group of mostly Syracuse classmates; however, I found that before even arriving at our destination, after 18 hours and 3 airports, I felt like I had known my new friends for months.
My semester abroad left me with countless memories, lessons, and reflections. I gained an independence I had previously thought impossible; some of my best memories are from simply strolling through Wroclaw and seeing where I’d end up. My favorite places I ended up, for that matter, were Cathedral Island (or Ostrow Tumski), Kolekwojo, and Vinyl Cafe. I was able to enjoy trips outside of Wroclaw on the signature seminar and on my own to Nice, Barcelona, Oslo, and Dresden, which I loved, but I also learned that there is nothing quite like feeling at home in a new place. I truly felt as though I belonged in Wroclaw after just a few weeks of studying in cafes, exploring the Market Square, and navigating the metro with my classmates. Wroclaw is an amazing city with plenty to offer, particularly once the Christmas Markets open up and the smell of mulled wine, waffles, and kielbasa fills the air. I will forever be thankful for the semester I spent there and the wonderful people I befriended during that time.
My name is Olivia Ly and I am majoring in public relations with a minor in psychology. I went aboard my second semester, junior year. I chose Syracuse London, as it was easy to take classes towards my major, allowed me to pursue an internship, and enroll in a signature seminar to start my program. The staff at Syracuse London were great. The professors were invested in not only our academics but also how we adjusted to London. In almost every class the professors would give some sort of advice on travel and places to visit in London. Syracuse London worked with me to give me a great work, academic, and life balance, I would attend classes Monday and Tuesday, intern on Wednesday and Thursday and was able to travel and explore Friday to Sunday. London is such a diverse city that it truly has something for everyone. It is very easy to travel to different countries and explore other parts of England.
During my time in London I interned at Matter Of Form, a luxury brand, design and eCommerce agency. The agency worked for clients such as, Breitling, Knight Frank and Estée Lauder. Having an internship abroad taught me about a global workplace. I was able to develop as a professional while also learning how offices in London differed from that of the U.S. The contacts and skills I gained have given me further insight into the career I wish to pursue after graduation. I would work every Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 to 5:30, which allowed me to commute like a local and really understand what it was like to work in London. My coworkers were able to give me travel recommendation and places in London to further explore. Mater Of Form, had a great office environment, and would often attend agency events during and after work.
I’m Ruby, class of 2021 studying Information Management & Technology and Environment & Society. Unlike many people studying abroad, my final destination was not my first choice. In fact, it wasn’t even my second choice.
After all of this, I felt very fortunate to even be getting to go abroad. I had spent months going through the emotional ups and downs of anticipation, excitement, and disappointment. However, looking back, I would not change anything about this process; all of the stress and planning, made me value my time abroad that much more. While I could have done without filing for three separate Visas, I truly spent every day in Australia just happy to be there.
Bonjour! My name is Yangzhi Xiao, I am an international student studying music industry in Syracuse University. I participated in Strasbourg France Program in Spring 2020, and I will be a junior this coming fall semester. You may wonder as an international student, why I chose to study abroad even though I am already studying abroad in the US? My answer would be experiencing with the world beyond one’s borders is the best way of learning. By living in a foreign country to study a new learning style and experience a different way of life, I have gained so much irreplaceable life experience. During this time abroad, I have not only expanded my horizons, but also got the chance to study at one of the most famous conservatories in France, le Conservatoire de Strasbourg. As an organ student, I was so lucky to be able to study with one of the four organists of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Studying with the sophisticated French organist developed my musical competency and performance, more importantly, he showed me an original perception of the way of life as an organist. Moreover, the life at the Conservatory of Strasbourg allowed me study closely with the local French students in the choir, Le Chœur des Jeunes Chanteurs. I will never forget the time we spent together and confronted the challenge together, it helped us make the strong bond of friendship.
Study abroad is also a beautiful way to encounter the world! My first impression of France was its unforgettable historic and scenic attractions. Paris, the first city we visited in France, is a strong cultural presence echoed with a liberal ambiance, and its particular French Neo classicism architecture makes the city an immersive Rococo heaven. The more I explored the city, the more I felt like to get to know about the story behind it. There was nothing I enjoyed more than taking a stroll along the Seine River. Just by wandering around the little path under the bridges and watched the gentle wavelets rippling on the banks of the Seine, there was a sense of comforting tranquility pervading. During the time abroad, I was inspired by the atmosphere to learn more about French culture, and my local friends drew my attention to the literature of France. It is interesting to build a communicating bridge between different languages and cultures in this way. I have gained a deeper understanding of the country by receiving the ideas from the literature and discussing about them with the local people.
Furthermore, when the pandemic happened, I chose to stay in France. I still remember in the two months confinement, my host family always liked to share her perspective of current affairs and politics during the dinner time, and it actually helped me understand further about the local philosophy of the way of living. One is to stay curious about life, and another one is to always make time for oneself. By learning each other’s culture around the dinner table, we had a chance to dissolve gradually the misunderstandings and stereotypes of one another’s country. Therefore, study abroad is the perfect opportunity to reach out the world, because it provides the chance that lets all sides of ideas to be heard.