Lucia Garabo’s Italian major is more than a field of study—it’s a way to connect with her family and her Italian heritage.

“I was able to have conversations in Italian with my great-grandmother, which meant a lot to both of us,” she says.

After studying Italian in high school, Garabo ’18 continued her studies at 体育买球 with the goal of becoming a transcriptionist.

Garabo, who is also a creative writing major, also developed an interest in screenwriting after she took more Italian classes and watched more Italian films.

“I hope to utilize what I have learned to write scripts in Italian that shed light on current Italian culture, which is often stereotyped. Second, I hope to continue doing work in translation, so as to make beautiful Italian texts and literature more accessible,” she says.

For her Global Opportunities (GO) study abroad program, Garabo studied in Siena, Italy. At first hesitant to speak the language, she credits her experiences there with building her confidence.

In addition to living with a host family who only spoke Italian, she assisted in many service projects including rebuilding medieval structures, educating high school students about American culture and politics, and working with West African refugees.

“My immersive experience showed me the true beauty of Italian culture, which is more than the literature or the art or the sculptures. There is a true, strong sense of community and identity, of knowing your neighbors and looking out for one another, a culture of what’s mine is yours. I am privileged to have been a part of that, even if just for a few months,” says Garabo.