My time in Florence has been invaluable and one of the best experiences of my life. Before this experince, I had no idea what to expect and was anxious for my time abroad to begin, and now, I am so incredibly sad to leave this beautiful city and the amazing life I have created here. 

I have been able to experience so many things in Florence. I have been able to immerse myself in museums and churches and really understand the artwork and history through my renaissance art history class. I have tried so many traditional tuscan dishes and have had the best Italian food of my life. I have also just been able to explore the city and culture with some of my close friends, which is my favorite experience of all. I have not only been able to explore Florence, but have been able to travel to several parts of Italy, as well as around Europe in my time abroad. I have been exposed to so many new cultures I would not have otherwise and have been able to gain cultural perspective in so many ways. I will truly treasure all of these experiences, and cannot believe they’re coming to an end. 

This experience has made me grow in so many ways and I truly believe this experience has changed me for the better in so many ways. Personally, I have seen myself become more adaptable and laid back. I am a type A personality, and in the past, tight travel connections or changes of plans would be very stressful for me, but this experience has taught me how to pivot better in these situations and be able to adjust to whatever the day throws at me. Academically, taking courses that I would not typically take in my Pitt Business course work has really challenged the way I think, and how I study. For example, I had not taken a history course since high school, so navigating how to best prepare for exams in a class such as this was something I had not done in a while. The act of having to navigate something different academically, I think will help to change how I think in my future classes. Professionally, I think having so many different global perspectives will help me to approach professional situations differently. I think learning how different cultures operate in business gives me a unique perspective that I can bring to future internships and jobs.

There are many things from this experience that I will take with me into my future academics and career. For one, balancing adjusting to a new culture, school, travel, and just my own wellbeing, taught me invaluable time management skills, and I will take these with me through the rest of my academic journey. Additionally, gaining a global perspective is something that will give me a unique perspective going into my future career, and has given me ideas and practices I can leverage in my internship and any future jobs. 

In all, this experience has truly changed me for the better, and I am forever grateful I was able to have this experience. I am getting ready to leave Florence with such a love of the city and culture, and experiences and memories I will never forget. Choosing to study abroad was one of the best decisions I made in my college career and I would recommend everyone to do the same.