See the most recent student blogs here!
Check out what our students are up to internationally and domestically on their global experience programs.
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Impacts Beyond My Semester Abroad
Kiera Giacometti, AIFS in London, Fall 2025 I took over AIFS Abroad’s Instagram at the end of October. One question I was askedduring this takeover was “Why did you choose to study abroad in London?” I answeredhonestly: Well, you see, I watched Doctor Who in fourth grade and became unreasonably obsessed with the city. So,…
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My Advice to You!
Kiera Giacometti, AIFS in London, Fall 2025 Studying abroad is one of the most exciting and most influential experiences you can take as a college student. However, there are lessons that Reddit, travel influencers, and TripAdvisor reviews may not tell you. I wanted to share four of the lessons I learned while traveling around Europe.
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So Much to Love About London
Kiera Giacometti, AIFS in London, Fall 2025 London is probably one of my favorite places in the world. Even before studying abroad, I had a fascination with the city. It is colorful, massive, and never boring. Whilst I was abroad, I made it my mission to explore as much of the city as I could.…
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Growth Outside of the Classroom
Hailey Latona, Pitt in Florence, Fall 2025 While I studied abroad in Italy, some of the biggest learning moments I experienced were outside the classroom. One of the biggest lessons I learned was time management. I balanced an internship working 20 hours a week with a full course load while maintaining a social life, visiting…
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Sharing Food Culture with Local Florentines
Hailey Latona, Pitt in Florence, Fall 2025 Between working an internship with a local Florence company and my outgoing personality, I had many interactions with local Florentines. Although I have the look of an Italian with dark hair, dark eyes, and an olive complexion, while attending a business lunch with my boss, I outed myself…
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Facing and Overcoming Challenges in Florence
Hailey Latona, Pitt in Florence, Fall 2025 This past semester, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. While Italy is known for its fantastic food and high-quality ingredients–and it absolutely is–the differences between the American food culture and Italian food culture was a difficult adjustment for me. Prior to studying abroad, I had lived in an…
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Challenges While Abroad
Ryan Leone, CEA CAPA in Florence, Fall 2025 One of the biggest challenges I faced while abroad was adjusting to a professional work environment in a different country. During my internship at Global Blue Italia, I worked in an international setting where communication styles, expectations, and workplace culture were different from what I was used…
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Community within Community
Maisie Oliver, Queen’s University Belfast, Fall 2025 Studying abroad showed me, with the help of Western and Central Europe’s stellartransportation system, the various embedded communities within communities. Outside of Belfast, my travels exposed me to new languages, cultures, and people. With every city I traveled to, my friends and I were sure to visit at…
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My Goals and Future
Ryan Leone, CEA CAPA in Florence, Fall 2025 Studying abroad in Florence had a slight impact on my goals and plans. Before going abroad, I was interested in finance and international business but had limited exposure to how it works in an international setting. My internship at Global Blue gave me hands-on experience in a…
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Highlights of Florence
Ryan Leone, CEA CAPA in Florence, Fall 2025 What stood out to me most about Florence was how easily I felt connected to the city, while I was always learning something new. Florence is full of history, but it never felt like I was just visiting a museum. People live their everyday lives surrounded by art,…