This trip has given me lifetime friends, supportive staff, and so much meaningful experience that will continue to help me in college and beyond. From living in apartments with 13 girls, I have learned the importance of communication, cleaning, and going with the flow. I majored in art history and went to every church in Florence and learned the most interesting stories and facts. Derek is amazing and led the class wonderfully. Along with art history, I minored in Italian Language with my amazing teacher Michaela. This was the most entertaining language class I have taken, Michaela is so relatable and made the class super exciting to be a part of. We learned how to order coffee in Italian, how to shop in Italian, how to write an Italian postcard, and went out to lunch as a class. She made it very clear to us that we could text her whenever we wanted to ask any questions we have. All the staff is so available and ready to help in any situation. I was a little under the weather for a few days and the staff let me rest and provided me with a lifetime supply of water. They have become a second family to me. We went on amazing excursions including Cinque Terre where we went on the most sweaty hike ever, Lucca where we rode bikes around the city boarder, Venice where we took a peaceful gondola ride along the canals, and ended off the trip in Rome seeing the Trevi Fountain and all the other amazing historical landmarks. I’m so glad I took part on this adventure and I’m grateful for the lifelong connections I now have.