UNK TODAY
Saturday, August 24, 2024 | 11
UNK students discover Italy
TYLER ELLYSON UNK Communications
MILAN — It wasn’t Lau- ren Morrow’s first time traveling abroad. The University of Ne- braska at Kearney senior has spent time at all-inclu- sive resorts in the Bahamas and Cancún, Mexico. Those family vacations are fun, but you don’t get to truly experience the culture, she noted. Morrow was looking for a chance to really explore a foreign country and dive deeper into its history, cui- sine and customs. That’s why she signed up for a study abroad trip to Milan, Italy. A psychobiology major in the pre-physician assis- tant program, Morrow, her younger sister Elizabeth and six other UNK students re- cently traveled to the fash- ion and design capital of the world for a three-week ex- perience that they’ll never forget. Morrow called it an “eye- opening” opportunity. “Everyone should expe- rience something like this,” the Grand Island native said. A partnership with the University Institute of Modern Languages (IULM), which focuses on workforce development and cultural preparation, the annual summer program is open to UNK undergraduate stu- dents from any academic area. Participants stayed at a nearby college and took classes at IULM covering topics such as Italian his- tory, language and religion, architecture, fashion and design, and food and wine. “Pretty much every as- pect of Italian culture is incorporated into the three-week program,” said
COURTESY UNK associate professor Rebecca Nelson recently led a three-week study abroad trip to Italy. “We really want students to get outside of their comfort zones, because that’s where the growth really happens,” she said. “By opening their eyes to these experiences, they gain a better understanding of people and the world we live in.”
UNK associate professor of teacher education Rebecca Nelson, who led the trip. Of course, these lessons included plenty of hands- on learning and sightseeing. In Milan, the students visited the Duomo di Mi- lano, a centuries-old cathe- dral and the largest church in Italy, as well as the Santa Maria delle Grazie, a church, convent and World Heritage site where Leonardo da Vin- ci’s “The Last Supper” mu- ral is displayed. They also toured local fashion houses and museums and checked out restaurants and shops in Chinatown, the Navigli ca- nal district and other areas of the city.
“The entire city center is a really neat atmosphere to be in, just to see all the differ- ent people and hear all the different languages that are spoken,” Nelson said. “It’s an experience unlike any that you would ever get here in the United States because of how old those buildings are compared to the U.S.” That history was a high- light for Morrow. “I really liked just walk- ing around and seeing the architecture,” she said. “I think that was really cool because we don’t necessar- ily have that in America. We tend to tear stuff down and build new, where they try to preserve that history.”
“These are the things that you don’t get to see when you’re at a resort,” Morrow added. “You don’t get to see the houses. You don’t get to
see the stores or the beauti- ful streets. You don’t get to see the historical stuff.” Along with Milan, the study abroad trip included
weekend excursions to Rome and Florence. The Vatican, Roman Forum,
Please see ITALY, Page 12
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