Author: Shelby Stone | Major: International Relations and Political Science | Semester: Summer 2025

Rome Really Wasn’t Built in a Day

My name is Shelby Stone, and I am a c/o 2025 senior graduating in December. I am fully invested in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences with double majors in International Relations and Political Science and double minors in History and Legal Studies. As an INST student, one of my biggest goals during my time at the University of Arkansas was to stud  abroad, and in the summer of 2025, I had the incredible opportunity to spend five weeks in Rome, Italy through my program: Italy and the Transatlantic World in a Global Perspective. Looking back now, I couldn’t be more grateful to the U of A, my professor, and my peers for making my time in Rome unforgettable. My studies took place at the University of Arkansas’s Rome Center, located in a beautiful part of the city across the Tiber from St. Peter’s Basilica. In my five-week program, half of my coursework focused on the history of transatlantic relations, while the other half was dedicated to my honors thesis. My thesis is a comparative study between the United States and Italy, with a focus on political rhetoric and policy implementation. My primary focus is the differences between the United States’ dual-party democracy and Italy’s parliamentary democracy, as well as how Italy’s role in the European Union influences its approach to immigration policy. Being in Rome, Italy was an incredible opportunity to study in one of my countries of focus. Rather than looking at Italian politics from across an ocean, I was living with their constituents. One of the most remarkable opportunities I had abroad was conducting an interview with a member of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani’s press team. I owe that experience to my professor, Dr. Brogi, who arranged the meeting through a colleague in the Foreign Minister’s office. Speaking with someone who works directly with both the Prime Minister of Italy and the European Union was invaluable primary research for my thesis. We discussed the challenges Italy faces when passing immigration laws, as well as the successes their party, Fratelli d’Italia, has achieved. We also talked about the EU’s broader struggles, including the Dublin Regulation and the difficulty member states face in sharing the responsibility of immigration equally. Outside of my thesis work, my program took my peers and I on tours across the city, exploring different periods of Italian history. My favorite was our visit to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in Rome. We learned about their mission to combat global food insecurity and even participated in mock exercises simulating a meeting of all member states. Each conference room was uniquely designed by the nation that sponsored it, filled with artwork and cultural elements that reflected its heritage. As an international relations student, seeing such a workplace firsthand was inspiring, and gave me a glimpse of a career I might one day pursue. My experience abroad made me excited for future possibilites and eased a lot of axiety I had for my post-graduate years. For anyone who is interested in studying abroad, I could not encourage you more to pursue the adventure. The University of Arkansas offers study abroad opportunites across the globe which allow you to cater your program to your interests. For me, as a student of Italian politics, there was no better place to travel for my studies. I also highly recommend the University of Arkansas’s Rome Center to any U of A student. One of the biggest perks of this program is going with familiar faculty and peers. Even if most of the people you will meet in your program will be new faces, you’ll quickly bond and find joy in knowing you’ll see them again back in Fayetteville. Still, no matter how many familiar faces you have around you, you’re immersed in the life of a completely new city. One of my biggest anxieties before arriving in Rome was being away from the familiar and having to navigate a foreign city alone. But what I feared most turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of my experience. I came to love the solitary walks I took through streets lined with buildings over a thousand years old. I wandered the Roman Forum alone, letting myself get lost in its history. It was a liberating experience to find comfort in what scared me. One piece of advice I’d give to future study abroad students is to find a couple of spots and become a regular there. Near campus, I had a coffee shop I visited every morning and a restaurant I often stopped at for snacks after class. In a city of six million people, these places made me feel special. I started my days with a cheerful “buongiorno” and ended them with a warm “buona sera!” I would go as far as to argue the best conversations I had with locals in Rome were at a restaurant I had stopped at a couple times before. Coming from Arkansas, where the population of the entire state is half the size of Rome, the adjustment was huge; but, the profoundness of the experience was unlike anything I have ever done before. Studying abroad changes the way you meet people, see culture, appreciate food and art, and connect with the world. It’s good for the soul. If you have any desire to travel, my advice is simple: do it. In the words of the world’s greatest traveler, Anthony Bourdain, “Be a traveler, not a tourist!”

Till next time, Rome — arrivederci!