Hi everyone! My name is Jules Smalis and I am a junior triple majoring in Finance, Marketing and Supply Chain Management, pursuing a certificate in International Business and Leadership and Ethics. Outside of my academics, I am in Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity on campus, the Club Tennis Team, and Incline Consulting Group. I also work in the Global Experiences Office at Pitt Business, and Senyai Thai Kitchen as a hostess and waitress. I chose to study abroad in Florence this semester to appreciate the different art and culture. I am someone who loves to learn about a city through its art, and Italy being known for their art, I felt it was a perfect match. Not only that, I am gluten free and the food in Europe does not affect me as much due to the way it is processed. I have loved having the ability to eat authentic pasta and pizza! Some of my goals for this semester in Florence are to fully immerse myself in Italian culture, and learn how to adapt to new environments. I have already taken four trips, and traveling with a big groups and individually has taught me a lot about how to manage my time and expectations. I am also excited to learn about the different places I am visiting through various excursions, and make time to appreciate the beauty of Florence.

There are a lot of similarities from Pitt and CEA CAPA. The courses are taught in english, and a majority of students in my classes are from Pitt. The course structures are also very similar, and I am enjoying all of my classes, especially oil painting. The campus itself is very similar, with all of the classes being a short distance from each other. The only major difference is not seeing the Cathedral of Learning, but the Duomo makes up for that view! Our neighborhood is great, with lots of local restaurants and students. I am living with six other girls who I know from Pitt, and we are all having a great time. Our apartment is very close to all our classes, and we have begun to find our favorite cafes and restaurants near by. It has not felt like a major adjustment to living with a large amount of roommates, which has helped the transition of moving to a completely new city. I have been loving Florence so far, and I am really excited to see what the rest of the semester holds!