I cannot believe my time in Florence is ending, but I know I will look back on these past weeks with so much joy. During my time in Florence, I have grown in many ways, in the classroom and outside of it. I have gotten out of my comfort zone and excelled in ways I did not expect. There are many skills I have picked up during my time here but some have stood out to me.
In both of my classes, I have had multiple presentations, which I was very anxious about at the beginning of the program. Standing and talking in front of a room of people was not something I was very comfortable with. In my creative writing class during the second week, we were asked to present our work and read it out loud to the class which immediately sounded alarm bells in my head. Not only would we read our stories aloud but we would also hear feedback from classmates. I was nervous to be judged, especially when presenting something that can be very personal. Despite my nerves, I stood in front of the class and presented my story. The first time it was indeed a bit intimidating but as the weeks went on I found myself gaining more confidence and enjoying presenting my work. Halfway through the program, I had another presentation for the other class I am taking, Interculture and Migration. With the new presenting experience I had I noticed that I was less stressed about the presentation.
Along with presenting, I have gained a lot of experience in several types of writing. In my Interculture and Migration class, I have had multiple assignments that prompted me to reflect on my growing understanding of migration, identity, and belonging and explore my reactions and reflections on course concepts. Most of the writing I do at school is technical and research based whereas the type of writing I am doing here has allowed me to expand my communication skills in terms of translating what I have learned on paper. Along with that I have written a good amount of short stories and poems in my creative writing class which I have also not done before. While writing my stories I have gotten feedback on how to improve my storylines and gained skills in editing and writing more creatively. I had never written a poem before but the lectures and visits from several authors allowed me to successfully write poetry.
As an economics and business student presenting and writing are necessary skills. Next year I will be joining a club called the Fed Challenge where I will, along with a team of students, be presenting a monetary policy to the Federal Reserve Board. For this in particular, being able to effectively write and present an idea is highly beneficial. Not only will I use these skills in the coming months but in any workplace environment these skills can give me an advantage.