Our Featured Alumni

Current senior at Penn State University, class of 2023. Studying Supply Chain Management with a minor in Information Systems Management. I hope to enter a Supply Chain rotational program following graduation and expand my skills and knowledge—maybe even end up living abroad someday and working in global supply chain! 

Favorite Moment in Florence

My time in Florence has been filled with beautiful memories all across the city, so it’s hard to choose one single moment that was my favorite! However, the best moments have been during my mornings every weekday in my favorite bakery, Forno Ghibellina. Aside from trying all their delicious pastries and breads, I’ve gotten to know the owner and all the workers on a personal level, which has been incredibly special for me. It is in moments when I’m sitting and chatting with all the local italians in Forno that I have felt at home in Florence. 

Advice to Future Students

The biggest advice I can give to future students is to think LOCAL. Shop at the fresh markets, spend time interacting with Florentine people, and most of all, utilize the Italian language! You will find it so much easier to be immersed in the culture when you make the effort to improve your language skills. In addition to this, seek out authentic and non-touristy activities (although those are great too). There are numerous hidden gems just a train, bus, or even a short walk outside of the city center! ISI does a fantastic job of listing local markets each month, but also ask around and discover all the local activities as well! I have felt that all of these make Florence feel like a true home. 

My name is Varunika and I am a senior at University of Maryland! I’m majoring in computer science and I would like to be a Software Engineer after I graduate! 

Favorite memory:
My favorite moment here is watching the sunset. No matter where I am it’s gorgeous and sometimes it’ll sneak up on me. It makes my walks after class very worthwhile and lights up the city right before it gets dark. It’s a very surreal moment when everyone around you stops for a moment to take a look at the sky. 

Advice to future students:
My piece of advice for study abroad students is to stay curious. Once you’ve settled in for a few weeks it’s easy to stick with the same places you know but keep asking questions to discover new places and keep wandering to areas of Florence you haven’t crossed yet. Ask questions when you meet new people. If it’s an artisan, ask them about their trade and how they got into it or if it’s the servers at your go-to cafe/gelateria, talk to them and try to learn about where they went to school and where they’ve traveled. Don’t be afraid to use the language in new places and ask ISI staff or your teachers if you ever have any questions! People here will adore your curiosity and are usually happy to answer your questions and it’ll help you learn so much in your abroad experience! 

Hello! My name is Thomas Jurasits. As of Fall 2022, I am a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia and I am majoring in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Neuroscience. My goal is to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist.

Favorite Moment in Florence

My favorite moment in Florence was when my Forensic Psychology class had a day-trip to an escape room! Two of my roommates were there with me but I wasn’t familiar with everyone else in the class yet so it was a really fun bonding experience to try and solve puzzles together. Half of us started the escape room handcuffed but we eventually were able to all get free, but we ran out of time while we were finishing the last puzzle! We probably would have finished with ample time but we kept dapping each other up with these fake hands we found in the escape room and dilly-dallying in other fun ways while we should’ve been trying to escape a murderer. Even though we didn’t succeed, we all had a blast and everyone in that class became good friends of mine.

Advice for Future Students

My advice for future ISI students is that you should use your time here to find out what brings you joy in life. You will have so many opportunities to travel while in Florence so it is a good idea to travel to diverse places and figure out the kinds of environments which you enjoy. On top of that, there is no need to travel places just because the people around you are traveling there and you don’t want to miss out- if you know a place isn’t your ideal vibe then it is totally okay to stay in Florence! This is a wonderful city with many things to do, I’d heavily encourage anyone to step outside of their comfort zone and try as many new things as you can, but you also shouldn’t sully your experience by adding stress (both monetary and the stress of planning trips) to your life if it isn’t a place you want to go. But if you do have the means, please do travel! Even though I love Florence, traveling to new places is such a large part of the fun in studying abroad. ISI also has plenty of staff members that can give you advice and help you plan your trips if you are nervous.