• Please provide a brief description of your STEP signature project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities of your project.
  • For my STEP project, I studied abroad in Bologna, Italy for one month during May this past year. The program was sponsored through the Office of Interna tional Affairs and Global Education. Throughout the four weeks, we learned about the structure and function of Italian cities throughout history both in the classroom and by using Bologna as our case study in addition to taking day trips to Florence, Ferrara, and Milan at the end of each week,
• What about your understanding of your assumptions or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place?
  • Traveling abroad to Italy was the first time I went outside of the United States. While I have traveled throughout the United States, this was my first trip on my own and without my family at my side. That, in and of itself was something I found transformative for me. I was born and raised in Ohio, and have always been surrounded by my family and friends growing up and during my time at OSU, but this time, I was truly on my own and able to think for myself and find my place in this world on my own while being able to learn about a unique culture. Before doing this project and studying abroad, I knew of different cultures, but had never been immersed in them besides what I knew in the U.S. or learned about in school. This trip opened my world view and expanded it beyond what I grew up with. It has shown me how diverse the world is in every aspect such as mannerisms, how a lot of Italians I spoke with were straight to the point versus in the US, a lot of people I interact with explain so much, how different our languages are, how tips are included when you go out to eat and waiters do not check in on you a lot during your meal service, how you have to pay for bottle of water at restaurants, the richness of history, and so much more. Yes, Italian culture is much different than how I grew up, but that is what makes it so unique.
  • Beyond this, I was able to discover and deepen my love for traveling and truly lean into my curiosity of the world. While I love my major and my coursework, for a while now, I have felt a bit burnt out with school. Going on this trip and using my STEP money reignited my love of learning and my curiosity to explore this world. By doing it, I learned about history, art, food, music, language, and all the encompasses the beautiful country and culture of Italy. On top of that, I pushed my self out of my comfort zone and made new friends both at OSU and abroad.
• What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP project, led to the change or transformation you described in question 2 and how did those affect you? Write 3 or 4 paragraphs of you experience completing your STEP project that led to this change/transformation.
  • The structure of our trip was a mix of classroom time with lecture, smaller assignments and papers, day trips to other cities, and field trips in Bologna with our professors. This in combination with our free weekend time and the trips me and other classmates took together, facilitated the above transformations I experienced. Looking back, before I even made it to Italy, I could feel myself changing because of the challenges I and 6 other classmates experienced as we tried to make it from Cleveland Hopkins airport to Milan Malpensa airport. From the get go we were met with delays and had to change our flight to a completely different one, only to end up having that one end up being delayed so much that we missed our flight from JFK to Paris to Milan. This was the first experience I had, highlighted the importance of community, adaptability and openness, and problem solving, several traits I would soon learn very well during my time in Italy. We leaned on each other, while navigating the new languages of France and Italy and the new way of transportation most of us were not used to, but grew to love in Italy – trains!
  • From the start, my worldview opened, whether through navigating travel issues, hearing and trying to communicate with new languages we encountered, and even through getting to see the Eiffel tower during our 9 hour layover in Paris after our travel fiasco! Beyond this, the bonds I formed with not only my classmates, but our professors, Dr. Combs-Schilling, Professor Weintritt, and our graduate TA, Stef helped me make these transformations. They provided us with the tools to thrive and flourish in a different country and way of life like how to visit an Italian pharmacy, the best food spots in the city or monuments and activities to see and do, or how to pronounce certain Italian words. They not only taught us through our learning material about Italian cities in the past to the present, but pieced it all together through taking us to visit parts of Bologna, Florence, Milan, and Ferrara, like Piazza Maggiore of Bologna, the Basilica of Santa maria Novella of Florence, the Duomo of Milan, or the Esta castle of Ferrara and so much more. Each piece of the cities we saw, whether a church, artwork, monument, historical site, etc, they tied into what we learned in the classroom and deepened our understanding of the material like for example, how popes wanted a lot of power in Italian history or how certain families like the Este or Medici family took and held power over cities.
  • During my time studying abroad, we had three free weekends available to travel outside of lectures and activities as a class. I visited Florence for two extra days outside of our day trip as a class, stayed a weekend in Venice by myself, and even went to some sea side towns for the weekend, which were Levanto and Cinque Terre with some of the girls from class. These experiences outside of class also reignited my love for learning and my curiosity of the world. Going to Venice was my first time solo traveling and when I went to Cinque Terre, I hiked between all five cities by myself! I developed a confidence I never had before and learned to trust my self and my instincts. By going with the girls from my class, I deepened my friendships with them and gained a sense of community that helped lessen the adjustments of this new culture. We ate together, explored together, and tried new things together and that is what helped make this project so transformational. This trip reminded my why I love to experience new ways of life and why I love traveling!
• Why is this change or transformation significant or valuable for your life. Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this matters or relates to your academic, personal, and or professional goals and future plans.
  • Going to Italy and using my STEP money to help with the cost of the study abroad trip, helped me grow as a person. I have a greater awareness of the world and have respect for the diverse cultures I interacted with and for those I have yet to experience. This will help me professionally as a future registered dietitian where I will interact with people from all walks of life bringing various cultures to the table whether through language, customs, or the different types of foods that are important to them in life so I can help them with their nutrition needs! I am now more culturally aware and open and have a greater understanding of the importance of diversity. Academically, I now have a better understanding of history and what can work or not historically, politically, and with infrastructure. Before this trip, I had never taken the train very much. Now I love trains and keep telling my family how well the train system is in Europe and that I want a more developed one in the US so I can travel around more. This is just one example of the information I learned that can help translate over to my academics and help me bring in new ideas to the classes I take. Personally, I love traveling, food and hiking. Opening my worldview through this trip showed me all of the potential for my future. I want to travel the world and this trip helped me believe it to be possible. I love cooking and baking and Italy showed me the diverse array of foods, tastes, and textures in the world. I hiked for 7 hours in Cinque Terre along the coastline and had the best time of my life! My professors made our lectures and field trips engaging and through all of these and the curiosity and love for learning that it reignited, I am able to transfer that over to my academics this fall and as I continue on at OSU to obtain my master’s degree and even personally as I make my way through the world.
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1. This project was a journey through France and Morocco through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In 3.5 weeks we discovered the impact of colonialism in each country, while discovering different cultural, racial, national, and religious identities. We spent about a week in Paris, another in Aix en Provence, and a final week in Morocco.

2. Through this program I was able to learn a lot about myself and the countries I visited. In France, my views on French politics were challenged and I was able to compare and contrast the French government to the US government. In Morocco, I was able to learn about the Moroccan government, one which I did not know much about, and compare it not only to the US, but also to the French government. It was through these comparisons that I learned how important it is to have a worldwide perspective, rather than countrywide. It also made me transform my way of thinking into recognizing my own privileges that I take for granted.

3. One event that led to this transformation was our lecture on Laicite (French Secularism). This lecture delved into the ban on cultural garments in public spaces and made me realize the freedoms that many Americans take for granted. The next event that led to a transformation was a lecture on Islam. As an individual who is passionate about the Christian faith, I thoroughly appreciated the chance to gain a perspective on the Islamic religion. This visit helped clear up some of the misconceptions about Islam that I had previously heard. It also helped me compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity.

However the topic that surprised me the most was the Islamophobia in France. This brings me to my next event that led to a transformation. When we visited a mosque in Marseille, it was disheartening to see so many individuals in need of a larger space to pray, and having to rely on third party donors to provide prayer spaces. When we arrived at the mosque, it was not very apparent that it was a mosque. In addition, hearing that prayer spaces were required to be disguised was very disheartening. It made me realize yet another privilege we as Americans take for granted.

4.

Overall, I feel as though the transformation I endured from this trip will allow me to recognize when I am viewing issues from a one-sided perspective, and be able to adjust my view to a more comprehensive point of view. In regards to my future, I plan to be an educator, not just at the teaching level, but also at the administrative, and policymaker level. This trip has helped me gain confidence in approaching my career from a holistic perspective and allowed me to understand what it is like to take classes in a different education system. One of my primary career goals is to rectify the one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and create inclusive, safe, culturally sustaining classrooms nationwide, this trip provided me with some of the tools I will need to make that happen.