I am a senior, history major at the University of Connecticut and studied at ISI Florence in the fall semester of 2013. The experience I had abroad through this program and being in Florence really made me become an independent adult, and helped me to discover who I am. Living abroad, thousands of miles away from home, forced me to take care of myself and become more of an adult, but if I ever needed assistance with anything the staff of ISI was always there and willing to help. In regards to my career, I aspire to become a history teacher at the high school level, and through various professors I had at ISI, I saw exactly how I would want to be as a teacher. A good teacher cares about students, makes sure they understand key concepts and holds them to a high standard, which is what my professors at ISI did. I believe that such a great experience at ISI helped me become more comfortable with Italian culture and the city of Florence. Even with all the travel around Europe and the endless number of adventures crammed into a semester, having this positive experience through the Institute made the study abroad experience even better. For future students:  you don’t want anything or anyone to take away from the most life-changing experience you will have as a student, and that includes the institute you study at. I will be forever grateful to UConn and ISI for the best four months of my life.

John Gallucci, University of Connecticut