In Florence, I am taking a variety of business classes and gen eds that tie into the Italian culture. The classes I am taking are International Finance, International Economics, Analyzing and Exploring the City: Florence, and Italian 101.

International Finance and Economics are directly correlated to my finance degree and economics minor at Pitt. In both of these classes I have the opportunity to explore international economics with a focus on Italy. This different viewpoint has really helped me better understand the differences between economic interactions and decision making in the U.S versus Europe. Additionally, my Analyzing and Exploring the City course has been my favorite so far. In this class we have the opportunity to learn about the history of Italy with a focus on Florence through both lecture and exploring the city during class! Lastly, I am taking Italian 101. This course has been extremely helpful with getting the basics of Italian down, which include greetings, ordering in Italian, and understanding common phrases used daily. Throughout my time here I have tried to speak in Italian whenever I can. I have enjoyed learning a new language and the locals really respect when you put an effort in to appreciate their culture.

In terms of strengths and different skills needed to be successful within the Florence academic environment I would definitely say that communication, organization, and being open to learn are definitely the most important. The majority of my classes here involve group projects or in-class activities within teams or partners. Therefore, having good communication can go a long way and make your life easier when working with others. Furthermore, organization is key as some of these classes may only meet once a week and you may be very busy travelling or doing new things while here! I like to utilize Google Calendar to put when my exams, quizzes, projects, or larger assignments are so I can have heads up and give myself plenty of time to finish them. I also like to put all of my travel plans like important times and locations that I need for travel. Lastly, I think being open to learn is very important especially in gen eds and Italian 101. For me, the gen ed courses I had no previous experience in, so it was really important to take a step back initially and allow myself to adjust. Overall, in this academic environment the professors are extremely helpful and want you to succeed. I recommend forming good relationships with them by participating and class and asking questions when you need to. Also, as I touched it before it seems like academic culture here utilizes a lot of group or collaborative work so I recommend coming in open-minded with a team player attitude.

I believe I can leverage my Clifton Strengths of adaptability, communication, and focus in many ways to be successful during my semester in Florence. In terms of adaptability, I think that by being thrown into a completely new culture I have been able to adjust quickly and pick up on cultural norms. I also think that this skill has translated to the academic environment in terms of quickly adjusting to having class with around 20 other students compared to classes of 40 plus at Pitt. I also think that my strength in communication can be used to successfully work in teams and connect with other people. Finally, I think my strength in focus will be important to maintain on top of my school work and mental/physical health while studying abroad. Being abroad for many students means being constantly busy blending school with travel, so I think by being focused and prioritizing certain things I can stay on top of everything and create less stress for myself.