Smiling in Front of the Colosseum

Author: Meghan Lucas | Majors: History, Anthropology | Semester: Summer 2025

My name is Meghan Lucas, and this Summer 2025, I traveled to Rome, Italy for five weeks. I went to the University of Arkansas’s Rome Center to participate in the new Self-Fashioning in Renaissance Rome Program. I am a member of the Honors College and a member of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, studying History and Anthropology with
minors in Gender Studies and Global Studies. I chose to participate in this program in Rome, Italy, because of its focus and my interest
in history and museums. This program taught how Renaissance individuals became distinct from society, as evident in their artwork, sculptures, and writings. I found this program intriguing
because the material that was taught during the course could then be understood through real examples inside the museums. For example, we were taught about how painters would have a distinct style in which they painted, some of which were Michelangelo Buonarroti and
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. They then took us to museums, like the Vatican Museum
and Palazzo Barberini to visit the Caravaggio exhibit, to analyze how their artworks compared to
other artists. This met my goals of seeing museums in different parts of the world to make my
studies more nuanced. Aside from the program itself, however, I chose to go to Rome because I
wanted to experience the University of Arkansas Rome Center. I knew before coming to college
that I wanted to study abroad, which is part of the reason I ultimately decided to study at the
University of Arkansas. I found the Rome Center to be really special because not only is it one of
the best locations in Rome, but also it is surrounded by so many awe-inspiring things and filled
with the most delightful people. During my five weeks there, I had not met one single University
of Arkansas Rome Center staff member who did not go above and beyond to help me. It was a
unique situation to feel completely cared for, especially when you are in a new country.
The one experience that stood out to me was our class trip to Florence, Italy. This
experience was special because we were able to visit some amazing museums with a tour guide,
and it was also when I became much closer friends with the people in my program. Our tour
guide told us many things related to self-fashioning in the Renaissance, such as the Medici
family and Filippo Brunelleschi. These are things we were being taught as we were looking at
the Duomo and the Medici Chapel. It was a very singular, amazing experience.
A valuable lesson I learned on this study abroad trip was that people are in a very similar
situation to you, no matter how different they may appear. I would offer to any student who is
thinking about studying abroad to do it. Of course, it has its difficulties, like heat, having to be
outgoing every day, learning new currencies and languages, and having to essentially be flung
into adulthood, but there is not a single day when you are truly alone. Someone is always
wanting to experience the same things and is just waiting for someone to do it with them. You
can better prepare for this at home by talking to as many new people as you can. You will be
needing to make conversations with strangers multiple times a day, so doing it at home may
make you more comfortable holding conversations abroad. As far as preparing for the rest of it,
you need to go in with an open mind and be open to many experiences. I have had the most
joyous times on my study abroad trips, and I thank the Honors College for helping me
experience them.