Before and After: Three Freshmen Reflect on Their Summers in Italy
15 UA freshmen are starting the fall semester with a head start. They participated in the Global Bridge Program, which allows incoming freshmen to complete coursework over the summer in Orvieto, Italy. Arizona Global interviewed three students before they left and once they returned to Tucson. Read on for the before and after!
Carolina Gomez
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Plans to Major in… Engineering
Before…
I’m most excited to… “expand my intellect through another culture. I’m ready to open my mind.”
I hope to learn… “another language, for sure.”
Once I return to campus… “I hope this experience will make me look at my classes differently. It might change my values a bit, and help me decide what I want to focus on with academics.”
After…
The most exciting moment was… “when I was walking to the side of the cliff, and it started pouring! I had to book it back, and I didn’t know exactly where I was. But I did it!”
I learned… “communication skills. When there is a language barrier, you find creative ways to communicate. I can now apply this anywhere.”
Global Bridge will help me succeed at the UA because… “without it, I wouldn’t have understood how college really worked. It definitely gave me a feel for what college would be like.”
Aidan DeBrae
Hometown… Great Falls, Montana
Plans to Major in… Physics
Before…
I’m most excited to… “hunker down and be part of a different culture.”
I hope to learn… “more about Italian history and culture.”
Once I return to campus… “I hope to study abroad again, early in my college career.”
After…
The most exciting moment was… “spending time with locals and seeing the heart of the town.”
I learned… “so much about myself. It reiterated how much I want to spend time in other places, learning about other cultures.”
Global Bridge will help me succeed at the UA because… “it throws you into an independent environment right away. It set in stone that I can do this.”
Tyler Salas
Hometown… Manahawkin, New Jersey
Plans to major in… Anthropology
Before…
I’m most excited to… “travel with fellow students, and learn along the way. It’s not a vacation; it’s academic, and I’m looking forward to that.”
I hope to learn… “some Italian.”
Once I return to campus… “I hope to know what to expect academically because I’ll already have taken college courses.”
After…
The most exciting moment was… "being able to explore Orvieto, Florence, and Rome. That was really exciting."
I learned… “how different other countries are to the United States.”
Global Bridge will help me succeed at the UA because… “I’ve already taken classes, so I know what college courses are going to be like.”