Study Abroad Semester in Florence, Italy
In Spring of 2018 I studied abroad for the semester at Florence University of the Arts. During this trip I gained the skill of cross-cultural communication as I traveled to 8 different countries and various cities in Italy. I also gained skills of flexibility, self-reliance, and independence. While studying in Florence I took the following classes: Digital Marketing, Business Strategy, Intercultural Communication, and International Marketing. These classes were a perfect fit for my International Business minor. I also was able to visit various fashion museums including the Gucci Garden, Palazzo Pitti, and Palazzo Reale. Scroll through this page to see what I learned in my classes. You will also find photos from my trip, information about the Italian Family Club I joined, and the travel Instagram I used while I was abroad.
Academic Projects at FUA
Digital Marketing
In this project my group created a digital marketing plan for a wine company in Italy. The company came and observed our final presentations. This was a great opportunity for me as I learned about search engine optimization and how marketing is different for countries other than the United States.
Business Strategy
The Business Strategy Game is an online exercise where class members are divided into teams and assigned the task of running an athletic footwear company in head-to-head competition against companies managed by other class members. Company operations parallel those of actual athletic footwear companies. You can view our evaluation of our progress by clicking below.
Intercultural Communication
My group compiled our individual research about cultural differences in various categories comparing China and the United States of America. My section is about cultural differences in business communications. Other sections include Education, Production & Manufacturing, and The Arts.
International Marketing
In this class our final project was to create and market a company in another country of our choice. My group decided to create a wedding planning company in India because of their extravagant weddings. Some of the work we compiled includes: research on Indian weddings, what we provide, swot analysis, competitors, and marketing plan.
Italian Family Club
This program gave me a more in-depth, hands on opportunity to get personally involved with an “adoptive” Florentine family. I was able to get an up-close view of a typical Italian family. Through this club, I was matched with a family and built a close relationship with them. I went to their home for dinner each week and spent time with them in other ways as well.
​
​
See below for the travel Instagram I created for my time in Italy