UGA Cortona - Summer : Testimonials (Arezzo)
The following program testimonial responses have been selected for publication by UGA StudyAway
Final Reflection Questions
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
Being submerged into an unknown culture and becoming a part of the town we lived in. The people were so welcoming and accommodating to us. Also, learning how to navigate through an unknown country on their form of public transportation.
— Madison Ambrogio, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
I learned about my creative process in a whole new way. The environment was key with that. You learn about yourself a lot living next to everyone all the time.
— Austyn Doty, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
I loved getting to meet new people and experience the program.
— Leslie Gostin, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
The professors and how much they taught me in one summer
— Tatiana Gusin, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
A greater appreciation for the artistic and architectural history of Italy.
— Adrian Hanson, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
The cultural experience of living in a different country, interacting with the local people and businesses of Cortona, and studying art in a place so rich with art itself.
— Olivia Lemieux, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
My most significant takeaway from the UGA Cortona Program was the opportunity to expose myself to the breadth and width of Italian art. As a visual artist, particularly in the Western world, one realizes that so much of our visual culture began in and is descended of the innovations of the Italian Renaissance. The Cortona Program afforded me the chance to "understand my roots" in that way, but also to experience a huge variety of artwork in general: Roman, Etruscan, and modern art alike.
— Jacob Mortensen, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
Italy was amazing-its such a different lifestyle over there. I really loved immersing myself into the culture and experiencing something different everyday.
— Schuyler Pringle, Summer 2016 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
I feel more confident in myself and my abilities as an artist. I felt like I really got to know my professors on a more personal level that allowed me to gain a lot of skills and wisdom from them. I feel a deeper understanding for the Italian culture and have a different perspective of my own.
— Nicole Borne, Summer 2017 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
I had a lot of self learning moments and I really enjoyed every single place we visited.
— Rachel Chong, Summer 2017 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
Experiencing the culture and life style of a place worlds apart from what I know. Gaining gat experience has allowed me to reflect on my own life style and make changes that I feel will have a huge impact on my quality of life.
— Robert Cleveland, Summer 2017 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
Experiencing another culture, especially for an extended period of time. Also, being out of your comfort-zone and learning to adapt to a new enviornment.
— Nicole Merizalde, Summer 2017 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
The most significant take-away from my experience was my realization that I truly love learning and using new languages. I love to study and appreciate culture and the impact that it has on the individual when you are immersed in something entirely new.
— Madison Gibson, Summer 2018 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
I believe that I will always keep with me the kindness of both the faculty and students in the program as well as the Italian people. I learned about so much while in Cortona and while traveling about in Italy, and it is such a beautiful country with a slower pace and rich history. I will take away the importance of dedicating time and effort to people and work in a way that is much different than in the states mostly, but there are smaller, more personal things I took away as well.
— Emily Harvard, Summer 2019 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
I just learned so much. I had to step out of my comfort zone and interact with a whole new group of people. My least favorite subject ever, Chemistry, ended up being my favorite class. I loved getting to know professors on a more personal level, and getting to know a couple of people in town that I miss.
— Ansley McClain, Summer 2019 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Go for it! It was a nice combination of work and play and the exposure to Italian culture and society was unbelievable.
— Madison Ambrogio, Summer 2016 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Do it. It was worth it.
— Austyn Doty, Summer 2016 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Invest your summer in it, it was Ana amazing program met some great people in and off the program. It's totally worth it
— Tatiana Gusin, Summer 2016 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
This will be the most incredible summer of your life!
— Olivia Lemieux, Summer 2016 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Be prepared to walk a lot; the trip from Tonino's (where the program's weekday dinners are hosted) to the dormitories near the top of the mountain are pretty grueling for the first week or two, but you'll adjust to it and be fit by the end. Be conscious of how you use your time: there's so much to do in Cortona that you won't be able to see/attend it all, so make sure to prioritize the things that are most important, whether that's seeing artwork, becoming immersed in the Cortonese culture/language, or working in the studio. Everybody in Cortona is really friendly, especially to UGA students, so get to know them as much as you can! Finally, the best place to get gelato in town is Snoopy's, in the Piazza Signorelli.
— Jacob Mortensen, Summer 2016 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Make sure to do as much as you can while you are there. When else are you going to be in Italy for two months? Eat, drink, study, travel--DO IT ALL!
— Schuyler Pringle, Summer 2016 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Don't be afraid to explore on this trip, take one or two weekends to get out on your own or with the new group of friends you made on this trip. Experience travel on your own time, and not just the schools. You are going to learn a lot about yourself on this trip, you may notice it while you're still in Italy or you may not notice until you land back home.
— Nicole Borne, Summer 2017 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
I would tell them that this study abroad is very different than any other. The opportunity to live in a smaller urban town and create art is priceless when compared to a study abroad that is just lecture classes in a different country.
— Robert Cleveland, Summer 2017 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Be open to meeting new people and embracing a different lifestyle than you're used to.
— Nicole Merizalde, Summer 2017 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
It made me want to experience new cultures, and hope to return to Italy someday.
— Leslie Gostin, Summer 2016 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
The things that I learned in and out of the class in Cortona I think changed the person that I am, I feel a bit different, I feel that I am a better version of myself, in every aspect.
— Tatiana Gusin, Summer 2016 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
I now have been inspired to work internationally, learn the Italian language, and integrate elements of the past into my present work in design.
— Olivia Lemieux, Summer 2016 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
As a result of going to Cortona, I have a wealth of new ideas/influences to develop in my own artistic practice. I'm particularly grateful to have had the opportunity to study under a few non-UGA faculty members (in particular Marty Feldman, in my major area of ceramics) to get an alternative viewpoint on the field. From a personal standpoint, Cortona was a really valuable experience for me: it was the first time i had ever been out of the United States, and even something as simple as navigating the challenges that international travel presents has improved my confidence and stretched me as a human being. Also, it was striking to me how living in Italy clarified and made me more self aware of my own "Americanness" with respect to other cultures. I would recommend this trip to anyone.
— Jacob Mortensen, Summer 2016 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
This experience exposed me to a different culture and I learned international relations outside of the classroom. I took classes that do not even pertain to my major and I broadened my horizons. I'm really proud of the things I did over there and I miss it already!
— Schuyler Pringle, Summer 2016 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
This experience taught me independence and responsibility.
— Sommer Smith, Summer 2016 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
I feel as though my style of art has changed while in Italy! I have new interests and new goals that I wouldn't have realized unless I lived abroad. Now that I am stateside, I ready to see where these new ideas lead me.
— Nicole Borne, Summer 2017 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
Immensely. I was able to learn from the towns and cities we visited that will absolutely impact and inform design decisions I make further down the road.
— Robert Cleveland, Summer 2017 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
It opened my eyes to opportunities I didn't think possible, and really created a desire in me to explore and travel the world, all while pursuing a career in the field I'm interested in.
— Nicole Merizalde, Summer 2017 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
As an international affairs major, the experience gave me invaluable cultural immersion and appreciation. As a studio art minor, I was able to improve my artistic ability in the most artistically rich country in the world and gain inspiration that will last for years.
— James Davidson, Summer 2019 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
I made friendships that will last a lifetime, and embraced the teamwork environment within the studio and campus. I became more independent than I've ever been, and it showed me that I can do anything with determination and help from others.
— Valentina Ramirez, Summer 2019 |