Temple University Rome offers a variety of opportunities for students, including a program that allows first-year students to start their college career studying in the Eternal City. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each year, more than 750 Temple University students study abroad<\/a>. There are several options available for students interested in international opportunities, and this year, 15 first-year students are beginning their college careers abroad on Temple\u2019s Rome campus with the Temple Rome Entry Year Program\u2014the largest group in the program\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Temple began offering the program four years ago. \u201cThe program is open to all different types of students,\u201d said Francesca Cuccovillo, associate director for student life and the Rome Entry Year Program at Temple Rome. \u201cIt caters to American students who want to have an international experience right away, as well as international students who perhaps want to stay a little bit closer to home for their first year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n One unique aspect of this program is the opportunity for students to be part of a smaller, more intimate campus experience, all while using Rome as an extension of the campus. \u201cStudents at Temple Rome take classes that have 10 or 15 students in them,\u201d Cuccovillo shared. \u201cThere is a lot of on-site learning, a lot of experiential learning, and more attention from staff and faculty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The program attracts a wide variety of participants\u2014half of the students are international students. \u201cWe are especially proud and happy about this because one of our goals is to help Temple University recruit more international students,\u201d Cuccovillo explained. \u201cThis program creates a great pathway for international students who might not have otherwise been able to go to Temple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These students gain many skills from being abroad their first year of college. \u201cI see students when they leave, they are much more mature than they would have been if they had not had this experience,\u201d Cuccovillo said. \u201cThey are very driven. They have spent a year abroad, so intellectually, they are very curious. They have learned communication skills and are much more independent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spending a year abroad comes with a multitude of opportunities for students to bond and build relationships with others. \u201cTo have this study abroad program your first year, you\u2019re really making connections that will last throughout your whole university experience,\u201d said Emily Kravet, Temple Rome\u2019s external relations coordinator and recruiter for the Rome Entry Year Program. \u201cYou have people you can trust and rely on right away and you go back to Main Campus with these people. It really builds a strong network for these students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year, the program hosts the largest cohort that it\u2019s ever had\u2014double the number of participants last year\u2014with students Nate Pelka, Nicole Girardi and Thais Costa Macedo De Arruda among them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pelka, Class of 2025, is majoring in political science and didn\u2019t plan for his first year to be in Rome. \u201cMy original plan was to go to Japan for two years,\u201d he explained. \u201cI had always wanted to come to Rome, but I didn\u2019t know it would be my first year.\u201d After Temple Japan was scheduled to host all classes online, Pelka opted to start his college experience in Rome instead, where classes would be held in person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pelka has Polish citizenship and his love for traveling and learning about new places was instilled in him from a young age. \u201cMy mom always encouraged me to travel,\u201d Pelka shared. \u201cI\u2019ve visited Poland, and my mom and I spent a month traveling around Asia together. My parents live in France now, too. I spent a month there before coming to Temple Rome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pelka\u2019s major also pushed him towards having a more international experience during college. \u201cStudying abroad gives me opportunities that I perhaps would not have had if I stayed in Philadelphia, especially majoring in political science,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping to do government work, like working at an embassy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicole Girardi, Class of 2025, is majoring in criminal justice. She came to Rome from Peio, a small village near Trento, in Northern Italy. Girardi went to an Italian high school but decided that she wanted to attend an American university. She was the only one from her high school to pursue an American education. \u201cI always wanted to go to college in the United States,\u201d Girardi said. \u201cI found out that I would have the opportunity to spend my first year in Rome with Temple University and that\u2019s why I decided to go here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Girardi has never been to Philadelphia and the Rome Entry Year Program seemed like the perfect gateway to an American university experience for her. \u201cGoing to college in the United States is going to be a big change,\u201d she explained. \u201cEverything is going to be new for me, I\u2019m going to have a completely different life and I wasn\u2019t really ready to go away yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adapting to an American university has been difficult for Girardi, but she has found comfort in having relationships with other international students who are participating in the program. \u201cNot being from America, it\u2019s strange to be at an American university. But it\u2019s really cool because we also have international students, so it feels like a melting pot,\u201d Girardi shared. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be friends with other international students because we share a lot of difficulties and it\u2019s interesting to hear how they are adjusting, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another international student, Thais Costa Macedo De Arruda, Class of 2024, is studying neuroscience. Born and raised in Brazil, Arruda came to Rome for her first year in the spring. \u201cI knew I wanted to study outside of Brazil. I applied to Temple, but because of the pandemic, I couldn\u2019t go in the fall semester,\u201d Arruda explained. \u201cAfter I deferred, I found out about the Temple Rome Entry Year Program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy favorite part of this program has been seeing my personal growth and how much I have developed from just being here.\u201d<\/p>\u2014Thais Costa Macedo De Arruda, Class of 2024<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n She found a job over the summer and even traveled around Europe for a bit. \u201cMy favorite part of this program has been seeing my personal growth and how much I have developed from just being here,\u201d Arruda shared. \u201cYou\u2019re constantly being thrown into situations that are outside of your comfort zone. These types of situations have forced me to learn and gain responsibility for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This sentiment was shared by Pelka and Girardi. Taking this opportunity to learn in an international environment isn\u2019t always easy, but the professional and personal experiences that are possible at Temple Rome make it worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe feeling that you get from owning your own life and taking responsibility for everything is amazing. When we\u2019re close to home, you rely on the same people, like your parents or your friends,\u201d Arruda explained. \u201cSometimes things will happen, and you can\u2019t rely on those people to help you. You have to figure it out on your own. That\u2019s how you grow and being here has helped me realize that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By Hannah Church Temple University Rome offers a variety of opportunities for students, including a program that allows first-year students to start their college career studying in the…<\/p>\n
Feature photography by Betsy Manning<\/em>
Article originally appeared on Temple Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"