Author: Myra Mangum | Major: History and Journalism | Semester: Summer 2025

Sitting By The Canals In Venice

There are some dreams you can never quite give up on. Back in middle school I was introduced to the world of Greek and Roman mythology through Percy Jackson, and ever since I have dreamed of going to Rome. The modern city that was built atop the ruins of an ancient empire. When I found out that the University of Arkansas had a branch in Rome, I just knew it couldn’t be a coincidence.

For the longest time I didn’t think that studying abroad would be possible for me. Between the financial aspects as well as with how involved I am in school during both semesters, it just didn’t feel realistic. In the fall I’m in the Razorback Marching Band and in the spring I’m a member of the band service sorority. I never wanted to have to miss out on football games or our membership process, and being out of the country for that long was scary. It wasn’t until I found out about summer programs that I seriously started looking into the process. Thanks to the Honors College and a few scholarships, suddenly all the reasons I couldn’t study abroad disappeared.

I was able to go July 2025 to Rome Italy and watch as all my dreams came true. I was a part of the History program and got to watch as the modern meshed with the ancient as I explored both on my own and through my program. In my classes there was more of a focus on modern Italy. I learned about the formation of Italy and the impact they have had on the transatlantic world. We toured several museums including the Risorgimento museum where we got to see the history we were learning about first hand. We were even able to get to more current history as well.

One of the most interesting trips that we went on as a class was to the FAO building. We went to further understand the formation of the UN and its branches as well as to understand Italy’s involvement in the formation. I thought it was really cool to get to see where history meets with the present and how all of the countries work together to make decisions.

Outside of class, I tended to focus more on ancient monuments like the Colosseum and the ancient ruins that littered the area around Rome. The Roman Forums was my favorite place, and I was able to go twice during my time. I made it a point to go to any of the ancient places because they were a big part of the reason that I was in Rome in the first place. They were all larger than life, and beyond my wildest dreams. I was in awe every time I passed by. There were also several places outside of Rome I went to, including the ruins in Ostia, a castle in Bracciano, the city of Pompei, and the canals in Venice. Every place was like I had stepped into the pages in the books that made me fall in love with the country in the first place and nothing disappointed.

In all of this, I learned the importance of doing what you want to do, no matter what anyone else is doing. Sure, it’s important to make friends and spend time with the people you meet while you are abroad, but it’s also important not to limit your experience to just what they want to do. Go into study abroad with dreams and goals, and if you find people that share them, great! But if you don’t, don’t forget that you can also explore the world on your own. Independence is always something I have tried to put first in my life at the U of A. Especially in the last few semesters I have learned that doing things on your own can be just as satisfying. Taking that mentality with me to Rome was hard, especially considering I was in a foreign country and a little worried about traveling and doing things alone. Don’t let it make you afraid though. It is not a requirement or a guarantee that there will be people who want to do all the same things as you, and your budget may be different than the people you are with. Know who you are, what you want to do, and the means that you have to achieve those things, and it will make your experience worth it a million times over. Everyone’s study abroad journey is different. Learn not to compare them and to do what will make you the most satisfied and in the end, you can make all of your dreams come true.