Since my time abroad is coming to an end I thought I’d share more pictures. Being abroad has been an amazing experience and I am grateful to the honors program for being part of making it a reality. I took classes at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona’s study abroad campus, which is called Casa Convalescencia and it’s located on the historical site of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. During this semester, I got to visit the hospital which is a World Heritage site and an icon of art-nouveau architecture here in Barcelona. I had the chance to visit other UT students studying abroad in Copenhagen. Also, today, April 23rd is Sant Jordi day, which is kind of like Valentine’s day here, books and roses are given to loved ones and the street sales are incredible; my professor who teaches my Culture Without State class, which focuses on Catalonia, took us on a field trip to see the Catalan culture in action. Casa Batlló, like the whole city, was covered in roses and the streets were flooded with people buying books. I’m sad my time abroad is ending but I also can’t wait to be back in Tampa.
Category: International Travel
Honors Symposium – Victoria Sunseri
On April 13th, Victoria Sunseri gave an Honors Symposium where she discussed her travel as the recipient of the Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award. Victoria traveled to Sri Lanka where she volunteered with a non-profit that helps women who have been part of human trafficking operations. She spent close to a month working with the organization then spent some time traveling in the area.
International Travel – Samantha Stewart
Honors student Samantha Stewart received an International Travel Award through the Honors Program to help fund her travel study course to Australia. She has just returned and shared some photos from her trip with us. As the photos illustrate, Samantha had a great time and learned a lot. Here is what she said of the trip:
I want to thank you all again for awarding me with a scholarship for the travel course to Australia. I had an incredible time and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to go to such an amazing place. I’ve included some pictures that I took during my trip.
International Travel – Ana Mejia
UT Honors student Ana Mejia is spending the semester studying abroad at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain. In her first week in Barcelona, she has already had the opportunity to see some of the amazing sights Spain has to offer, including attending a fútbol match and visiting the La Sagrada Familia church.
International Travel – Katie Serba
In spring 2017 I had the opportunity to take the Design and New Media travel course that included a trip to Zurich, Paris, and London thanks to an Honors Study Abroad scholarship. It is hard to sum up two weeks in Europe, but they were definitely some of the best two weeks of my life. I had so much fun exploring each city, but I also got to learn so much too. I learned about design, art history, and the different cultures. In, Zurich my favorite places were the Museum für Gestaltung and the Alps. The museum really opened up my eyes to how design includes everything from furniture, to clothes, to ads and street signs. This museum was also where I learned the most about graphic design. I learned that graphic design focuses on typography and uses a grid. We also got to create our own posters. However, the Alps were the best way to end our time in Switzerland. The Alps were so incredibly beautiful and peaceful, and we even got to go tubing down them.
Then in Paris, we visited the most amazing museums such as the Louvre and The Centre Pompidou, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and saw it light up at night, took a tour through Montmartre, and even went to the Catacombs. These days were the busiest, but I loved every second of it because they made me realize how much I enjoy contemporary/modern art while giving me the chance to see every part of the city. Before, I didn’t even know who Wassily Kandinsky was, but now I cannot wait to visit other museums to see more of his unique work.
Our last four days were then spent in London. London was really special for me because I could actually see myself living there one day. We visited more modern art and design museums, such as the Tate and Design Museum. Although, my favorite museum was the Museum of Brands, Packaging, and Advertising because it was very hands-on. We were able to see the progression of a brand’s packaging and then sketch out a design of our own. Our adventures continued with a tour of the studios where the Harry Potter movies were filmed. We saw the real props, costumes, creatures, and even the paintings and cardboard models. What was truly exciting though, was that I was able to meet marine scientists from the London Zoological Society. They were collecting samples in the river and provided me with a sheet of information on their research, which is such a great connection to have in the future.
The other part of this trip that made it so great though was the people. All the women were so helpful, especially when I had questions. After this trip, I feel way more confident being abroad than I did before. I now know how to travel using each city’s public transportation and even a few key phrases. Overall, I am so grateful to call these women my friends, for the memories, and for the opportunity from the Honors Program to go on this trip
International Travel – Kellie Etling
This May, through UT’s Honors Program, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Zürich, Switzerland; Paris, France; and London, England. Never did I think in my college career would I get to go to any of those iconic places. I was able to visit famous and historic places like the Cabaret Voltaire (birthplace of the Dada movement), the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the London Eye, and the Globe Theatre. This native Floridian also got to experience my first snow! And at the Swiss Alps of all places (not a bad first snow, if I do so say so myself). Not to mention, we got to go to the Warner Bros. Studios in England to visit the actual real-life Harry Potter film sets. The film major and major Harry Potter fan in me were beyond excited. I’m so grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience I got to have thanks to the Honors Program!
