Buies Creek, NC – Campbell University Study Abroad Program sent seven students and one professor to Italy for a twenty-three day trip of exploring, learning, and eating gelato. The Campbell students who participated were Jessica Bradway (Salem, NJ), Angela Brown (Lillington, NC), Andrew Burnette (Greensboro, NC), Kena Hawkins (Garner, NC), Maggie Hopf (Greenville, NC), Kimberly Johnson (Benson, NC), and Emily Sides (Charlotte, NC). They were guided by Dr. Adam English, associate professor of Religion. Dr. Donna Waldron, Director of the Study Abroad Program, organized the logistics of the trip.
The group’s international adventure began in Rome, where the they toured the Coliseum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, and numerous other sites. After five days in Rome, they journeyed to a Christian youth camp nestled in the snow-topped Apennine Mountains, where they spent a week doing service projects and enjoying family-style home-cooked meals. From there they traveled to the idyllic medieval town of Assisi and finally to Florence, where they sampled the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the Renaissance. Before leaving the area, the group ascended the corkscrew staircase of the leaning bell-tower of Pisa.
“My overall impression of Italy?” Kim Johnson answers without hesitation, “I loved it! This has been the best experience of my life.”
“The educational value of study abroad is something that can’t be duplicated in the classroom,” says English. “In Italy you have layers of art, religion, architecture, history, and culture all piled on top of each other.”
Emily Sides recalls her thoughts as she walked through the ruins of the Roman forum, “I could envision how the Roman forum was used by millions of people long ago. I could picture the scene in my head of the endless markets and people. My mind was filled with countless thoughts as we walked through the forum. The experience was truly splendid.”
The Italy experience is a regular part of the Study Abroad Program and is offered every two to three years. For more information on Campbell’s study abroad to Italy or the Study Abroad program, contact Dr. Adam English at 910.893.1679, [email protected]/* */ or Dr. Donna Waldron at 910.893.1576 or [email protected]/* */.
Photo Copy: Campbell students study abroad in Rome, from left, front row: Emily Sides, Maggie Hopf; back row, from left: Andrew Burnette, Kena Hawkins, Angela Brown, Kim Johnson and Jessica Bradway.