For my first event of the semester, I chose to attend the Education Abroad Expo on September 12, 2019, in the Ohio Union. The Education Abroad Expo counted as a Campus event. This event has a strong relation to the topic of International Affairs, as it allowed me to view several study abroad opportunities at Ohio State. At this event, I found the study abroad opportunity that I am considering using for my second-year project.

As an Italian minor, I immediately visited the French and Italian booth first. Initially, I knew I wanted to complete my study abroad over the course of summer 2020, and I wanted to stay for at least four weeks. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what subjects I wanted to focus on or where in Italy I wanted to study. The staff working the booth went over the multiple study abroad programs in great detail with me. Their guidance and patience were amazing. They helped me to narrow the programs down to one or two choices that I was very enthusiastic about. One of the programs – Siena Italian Studies – had their own booth at the expo. From the French and Italian table, I visited the Siena Italian Studies booth, where I was able to talk with some students who had gone on the study abroad the previous summer. They encouraged me to apply for the program, explaining that their Italian had progressed immensely and that they had had a fantastic experience.

I was especially excited to hear that a few of the students had been involved in a program in which they had been able to help teach Italian to refugees. As a Peace Studies minor and someone who plans on pursuing a career in the human rights field, I was ecstatic to find out that I could pair my Italian learning experience with another opportunity that would greatly benefit my career choice. The students also informed me that I would be able to take classes in refugee migration and other similar subjects over the course of the four-week immersion. This information definitely helped me to realize that Siena Italian Studies was the perfect summer study abroad for me.

Personally, I gained a lot from visiting the Education Abroad Expo. I thought I would just pop in, browse a few booths, spend some extra time at the Italian booth, and then head home with some more basic options. Instead, I was able to find the perfect study abroad program – a program that satisfied both my love of Italian and my desire to help others in the world. This study abroad experience would help me academically, as it would allow me to complete my Italian minor while studying in Italy, but it would also give me professional experience in the field of refugee migration. I’m so glad I was able to attend this year’s Education Abroad Expo – next year, I hope to be one of the students at the Siena Italian Studies table, encouraging others to have an amazing experience!