Hi, my name is William Johnson, I am currently a sophomore at the University of South Carolina majoring in elementary education.

In the Spring of 2023 I decided to study abroad in Rome Italy at John Cabot University, I have to say that this has probably been one of the best things I have done in my life. I am so thankful for my program leaders and their consistent support and guidance throughout my time abroad. I was able to attend the SAI day trips and I also decided to join the Global Leadership Certificate (GLC) which I’m also thankful for.

This semester I was able to volunteer a lot throughout the semester as well as get to know some cool people. As well as volunteering I was able to attend three lectures, one being Diversity and Identity: labels We don’t Know, which was interesting because it was a interactive discussion that everyone had to participate in. We talked about who we are as  individuals. Another lecture was Forgotten Afghanistan, which was a little emotional because the two speakers went over to Afghanistan and hearing them talk about their experience you could hear the pain that this country goes through. Lastly, I attended the challenges of fighting anti-Roma discrimination in Italy. All of these were unique to their own self because of the topics that were being presented. Overall, my time abroad has been such an experience that will forever stick near me, I’m thankful for my roommates and how all of us got along so well I can say I have made some lifelong friends. Thank you SAI for everything!! 

Written by William, Spring 2023 Rome student from University of South Carolina