Hayley Camponescki, Alumni Ambassador

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CLASS WHILE ABROAD, AND WHY?
My favorite class while I studied abroad was beginners watercolor. My enjoyment of this class surprised me because I often get frustrated with my lack of artistic ability. But my lack of talent was compensated by my desire to portray my trips through art. Our assignments that involved painting "postcards" of some of our favorite sights while abroad. A lot of my paintings (though I didn't find good at all) were great keepsakes and a wonderful way to look at my time in Florence through a different lens. My teacher for this course, Jamie, was easily one of my favorite teachers I have had in my life. My classmates and I were able to connect with her through social media and I hope to one day go back and visit her. She always encouraged me to embrace the mistakes I made in my work, and look at the piece as a whole and not for its faults.

HOW DID YOU ENGAGE WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHILE ABROAD?
My apartment was located about a 20-30 minute walk from the hustle and bustle of the city. Though it was incredibly easy to get to places like the Duomo by foot, being further away from all of the tourists was something I learned to love. Almost every morning my roommates and I went to Cafe Orcagna located on our street and enjoyed a cappuccino and pastry. The workers knew us so well that they had our orders memorized and one morning when I didn't have my wallet, they prepared my food while I quickly ran back to my apartment to retrieve it. It was here that we tested our knowledge of the language, work on our homework, and show our families when they came to visit.