Kelly Landaverde

October 23, 2015

Enhancing the Summer Study Abroad Experience: Learning through Cultural Exchanges in the Eternal City.

This presentation will focus on my experience as a director's assistant at a study abroad company in Rome, Italy. The program I interned for strives to teach students that studying in Italy is more than just learning about "fine wine," but about understanding the importance of many old customs and their relevance in modern day Rome. Due to the cultural component of the program, I was pushed to think analytically about ways in which I could enhance students' knowledge of Italian culture through direct exposure and integration. This direct exposure to daily Italian life also forced me to think critically about my identity and social position in American Society as a Latina. Everyday interaction lead to cultural exchanges that offered students, as well as many Roman natives, a different perspective on international education and what it means to be a global citizen.