Author: Abigail Henson | Major: Mechanical Engineering | Semester: Summer 2025

Gladiator Battles at the Colosseum

My name is Abigail Henson. Currently, I am preparing to enter my junior year as a mechanical engineering student with aspirations to work in an aerospace engineering company upon graduation. This past summer, I spent 5 weeks studying abroad at the University of Arkansas Rome Center where I took courses in art and global studies. I chose to study abroad in Italy with these courses to progress towards graduation while also gaining global perspectives that would help me thrive in a multinational professional environment in the future. As I am an active participant in a handful of music ensembles on campus, it was most advantageous for me to commit to studying abroad during the summer as opposed to missing out on a semester’s worth of performances. Compared to a lot of my more technical and math focused classes during the regular semester, studying humanities this summer has been a huge perspective shift, both academically and personally. Though initially hesitant, I thoroughly enjoyed engaging with my peers in my global studies class in discussions about political happenings. Turns out, there are hundreds of events happening every day that I have been unintentionally shielding myself from learning about by not being an active participant on any news platforms. In addition to rediscovering the relevance of following what is happening politically, it was interesting to hear an international opinion from our professor and guest lecturers on various matters. As for my class studying art, it was a nice challenge to have to create a guidebook to rome. Initially, this task of compiling historical background from all around Rome sounded daunting to me as I don’t have a strong interest in history. However, this task helped me gain a better appreciation for Rome and encouraged me to ask more questions about where different basilicas came from, or what different structures were used for. Overall, one of the biggest take-aways that I have from both of these classes is the importance of having an open mind when exploring a topic that is new or unfamiliar to me. Without allowing myself the opportunity to have an open mind, I would have missed out on so many unexpectedly great experiences this summer, such as learning how to make hummus from scratch in the multicultural district of Rome. One of my favorite memories from the program was a group visit to the Borghese Gallery. I had never spent so much time looking at art up close before, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed hearing about the historical and political context behind the pieces. Seeing how the stories of the past were told through sculpture and painting gave me a new appreciation for how much engineering and art overlap; Both take creativity, precision, and an understanding of human experience. This getting to experience living day to day life in another culture was one of the most enriching parts of studying abroad. Between navigating the metro system and learning to order in an unfamiliar language, I found myself drawing a lot of comparisons between the cultural norms I was learning and the ones that I grew up with.