University of Wisconsin–Madison

Italy: Sophia Grams-Weston

Program: Santa Reparata International School of Arts (SRISA), Summer

Sophia mimics the pose of a statue behind her lifting one hand in the air and the other hand out in front.
An example of my art history class taking place in a museum.

What is a custom, food or tradition from your host country that you are taking forward? 

Italy was very focused on sustainability, they had five different trash bins all for different types of trash. They also encourage no use of plastic bags so generally people bring some sort of tote bag when they go shopping. The habits of recycling and composting are habits I’ll continue to use, as well as using all my new totes bags while grocery shopping to help the sustainability efforts here.

My advice for any first generation student even thinking about traveling, I highly recommend taking the leap because it was an unforgettable experience. UW-Madison offers a lot of scholarship opportunities to ease the financial cost.

What is your advice for someone considering your program?

I highly recommend my program because they were amazing at balancing education and immersion into Italian culture. They offered field trips, some included and others not, I highly recommend going to all of them to be able to see more of Italy and learn more about its history. Know that SRISA classes generally travel so be prepared for a lot of walking around Florence.

Sophia stands in front of a red brick building with a dirt racetrack around it.
Trip to Sienna! Behind me is where their historical horse race takes place (after the horses are blessed in the church).

How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?

Being a first generation student I was very nervous traveling abroad. I got so anxious I almost didn’t go but I knew this was an opportunity I had been wanting to experience since I was a child so I overpowered my anxieties and took this leap. My advice for any first generation student even thinking about traveling, I highly recommend taking the leap because it was an unforgettable experience. UW-Madison offers a lot of scholarship opportunities to ease the financial cost. So even if your low income and/or first gen you’ll still have the opportunity to travel.