First off, I want to express my gratitude to everyone at Pitt that has supported me and helped me take part in this global experience. To my donor thank you so much for your generous contribution and help in my personal/professional growth. This study abroad experience has been an unforgettable experience and I feel like I am not the same person that left for Florence in January. If I could use three words to describe my study abroad experience, I would use transformative, exciting, and enriching. 

 I would describe it as transformative because I have grown so much personally and professionally.  Personally, I have gotten to know myself better and have gained more self-confidence from it. Putting myself in this uncomfortable situation with a lot of uncertainty has taught me how to adapt to my surroundings. I adapted to the culture, living and social situations around me in a couple of months. I also have more confidence in my speaking abilities. I have expressed this in previous blog posts, but I am bilingual in Spanish and English. Before this experience I was shy in my Spanish because I was afraid of making errors. After living and exploring places where I have zero idea how to communicate in the native language, I am now super confident in my Spanish and will leverage it in my global interactions. Professionally this experience will help me so much in my future career plans. One of my career goals is to work for a global company and do an international assignment. This experience was a taste of what that would be like and now I have firsthand experience. I was also able to learn a lot about international business in my internship experience. I saw how culture plays a role in an organization and the differences in workplace interactions.  

Secondly, the experiences were extremely exciting and fun. I met so many people that made it the best time of my life. I got to see the world with new people that I will now call my lifelong friends. I have always loved seeing new places because it evokes a sense of joy and excitement. I was able to experience that very often because every day I was exploring a new part of the city or Europe.  

Finally, as for why this experience was enriching. I got to see so many amazing things that fed and expanded my curiosity for the world. I have always loved learning about history and culture. My study abroad experience made me ask so many questions about how people live different lives than others. This journey has not only broadened my perspective on Italian life but has also sparked my interest in exploring even more profound cultural differences. I’ve found myself questioning, learning, and growing with each encounter, eager to uncover the unique customs, traditions, and lifestyles that shape different societies. I am confident that this experience is just the beginning of a lifelong journey of cultural discoveries. It’s been great sharing my experience with you all these past months, thank you.