European Adventures

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The Fall ’26 Rome Study Abroad Program has brought me so much wonder and eternal joy! I am so excited to see what the rest of my journey abroad will teach me.

Currently, I am sitting in a Mexican restaurant eating a Chipotle-style burrito after visiting the Sistine Chapel and the museums surrounding St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. You may be asking, how did you find Mexican food on the other side of the globe in a country famous for its pasta, wine, bread, and butter? The humorous part is that I am just as astonished as you are!

Upon arriving, I was in awe of the fascinating number of choices there are in Rome and how delicious everything is! Last week, I had all-you-can-eat sushi, ramen, and kebabs, which were all, to my surprise, absolutely amazing.

This entire experience has been a dream come true. I remember being a child,

daydreaming about visiting the Colosseum

or seeing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Now, I’m living it. Grabbing food next to the Colosseum and looking up at The Creation of Adam. I am in awe.

From exploring the city, Piazza Navona, Capitoline Hill, and the Spanish Steps, every minute brings another ancient site

filled with so much history. Studying film here has been mind-blowing. Watching movies in class and then walking outside just to see the scenes I had watched makes me feel like I am living in my own movie.

Photography has been insane, with frequent city walks alongside my professor that make me feel like I am stepping into my soul purpose. I would have never imagined

having assignments that allow me to explore a city

I once thought would take me years to step foot in.

The inspiration I have absorbed from Art History, learning about Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Brunelleschi, has inspired me to imagine a future world surrounded by beautiful fountains, sculptures, philosophical teachings, and art found in every city center.

It is astonishing to me that, after visiting a city like Rome, I can see how America, a country founded on the influence of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, lacks the art and intricate beauty that those two time periods so deeply valued. I am so filled with inspiration to see cities like Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco have beautiful statues representing peace, solidarity, and freedom. Art neighborhoods littered with street art and architecture glazed with artistic intricacies.

In the last 10 years, I have seen an acceleration of modern refurbishments in fast-food restaurants, homes, shopping centers, and more. Although these spaces can be clean and beautiful in their own ways, they often lack the intricacies that really make your mind stop and say, “Wow!”

I am also so inspired to explore different styles of artwork myself, whether that means experimenting with painting, poetry, ceramics, or sculpting. It is never bad to experiment with something new and challenging. All it does is open your mind.

I have been privileged enough to live out more than one dream of mine. I have gotten to travel across Italy, explore Rome, and delve into my creative endeavors, but I have also been able to travel beyond Italy.

I visited Paris during Paris Fashion Week, visited the Louvre, and witnessed everyone’s impeccable fashion. I also visited Mykonos, Greece, explored its famous white and gray stone roads, visited a beach club, and floated my dreams away.

I have truly healed a part of my childhood. The boy who dreamed, wrote, and painted these towns that once felt so, so far away has finally made it.

At only 19 years old, I made it all

happen on my own.

Not to mention, I have also been able to experience this time with peers my own age, young dreamers with whom I get to discuss every bit of my travels. I am so enlightened by their individual perspectives and enthralled by our growing friendships.

My roommates and I have enjoyed our very cozy home and made multiple dinners together, from pasta to chicken and rice to breakfast sandwiches, all while trading our favorite music, watching each other’s favorite movies, and listening to each other’s opinions. I love the time we have spent together and know the rest of our journey will be astonishing. Our apartment was another dream come true for me. The number of Pinterest photos I pinned over the years of Amsterdam- and Parisian-style lofts is unimaginable. Now, I’m living it.

Overall, I am living out a dream I never stopped believing in, and now I can continue to live every dream my childhood self imagined.

Once a boy in a world that felt so big, now a young adult taking on the world.