Scholarship recipients
Clara studied abroad for three months in Florence, Italy, in winter 2019, while working her way toward a degree in history (focusing on medieval Western Europe) with a minor in Italian.
“The entire city is like an open-air museum, with history bleeding through its streets and masterpieces of architectural and sculptural genius in every alley and piazza. And for language study of course, the opportunity to be in a country where your target language is spoken, immersed in its cadences from morning to night, is unparalleled.”
– Clara Romani
While studying in Florence through her university internship program, Megan worked as a marketing communications and design intern at a café in the heart of Florence along the Arno River.
“Learning about the city’s business society and closely working with Italians who enveloped me with love made me feel included into the culture. I made connections in Florence that I hold dear to my heart while also increasing my marketing and international business skills for my future.” – Megan Beveridge
Gabriela studied in Florence, Italy in the fall of 2019. In art classes she learned about the importance of a clean and controlled brushstroke in painting, and visited artwork of Michelangelo and Botticelli, and other paintings done by some of the best painters in history.
“I went to Florence to learn about Italian culture and the arts, and left with a lifetime supply of warm memories and a hunger to return. I have fallen absolutely in love with Italy and Italian culture, and this scholarship allowed me the freedom to explore the smaller towns that harbored this love.” – Gabriela Hamm
Brittany received a scholarship through the Commission’s Duilio Peruzzi Scholarship Fund, studying abroad in Florence for 9 months. She took art history, Italian 2 conversation and grammar courses at the California State University International Programs: Florence Study Center, and her studio art courses at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze.
“I adored being surrounded by such amazing art and architecture that I had dreamed of experiencing in person, but nothing prepared me for the influence it would have on me. I took in all the art I saw in Florence and throughout Italy, cherishing the idea that I was there to follow an ancient tradition of art study and practice in a place where so many great artists trained before me.” – Brittany Budge
Jared, who studied in Florence in 2017, immersed himself in the culture while learning and practicing conversations in Italian with his host family.
Walking to school meant walking past the Duomo, and arriving at the Piazza Della Repubblica, two of the Florence’s most historical places. There was never a day when this walk did not feel surreal. At home with my new Italian family and in a city I now consider home, the experience was genuinely special. – Jared Williams