Office of Study Abroad

Profile: Ardelia Doyle '27

Major/minor: English, History, and French

Study abroad program: Sant'Anna Institute Summer Program, Summer 2025

Reason you chose this program: My dad studied abroad in Italy when he was an undergraduate, and after hearing all of his great stories, I knew I wanted to study in Italy!

Favorite classes: History of the Italian Mafia. It was taught by a local Italian professor who brought us to a local radio station as well as a mozzarella farm, both of which had unexpected connections to the struggle between citizens and organized crime in the 1980s.

Housing situation: I lived in a shared apartment with five other students and had a roommate.

Favorite memory: One of my roommates and I went to Rome to meet up with some of her friends from her home university who also studied abroad. We saw the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Rome's Pride Parade! It was such a great bonding experience, and we had a lot of fun seeing the city at night.

What do you know now that you didn't know before? Historical sites in the United States are usually, at most, a couple hundred years old. While standing inside of massive ruins that were a thousand years old, I could reflect on what gives something the ability to stand the test of time and how even though it was so long ago, that we are fundamentally the same as people back then.