Undergraduate Blog

Students Abroad: Steven Jiang (McIntire ’23), Italy

The Finance and IT concentrator, with a track in Business Analytics and major in Archaeology, studied abroad at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, in spring 2022.

Steven Jiang in front of the iconic Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral)

Steven Jiang in front of the iconic Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral).

Why did you choose to study abroad in Milan?

I chose to study abroad in Milan because it complemented both of my majors, Commerce and Archaeology, and challenged me to learn a new language. As an Archaeology major, I am interested in the ancient world, particularly Rome and Egypt. Being in Italy for a semester gave me a chance to travel to Rome and Pompeii to see the artifacts and sites I learned about in my Roman Archaeology course. Additionally, when looking at study-abroad options, I wanted to immerse myself by learning a country’s language and culture, and Milan was perfect for that. I was able to learn enough Italian to communicate with locals and eventually solo travel to lesser known parts of Italy where English isn’t spoken widely. This really pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I eventually tried to speak Italian whenever possible to improve my speaking skills.

Ruins in Pompeii

Ruins in Pompeii.

What was the most impactful part of your coursework abroad?

Being able to work on projects for various Italian companies. For example, I worked with Vibram, an Italian shoe sole manufacturer, as part of my Fashion Collections and Sustainability course and with Accenture Italy for my Product Management course. Most of the courses were designed to give students the chance to work with large companies to solve real-life problems—similar to McIntire’s Integrated Core with a corporate sponsor. It also provided a great opportunity to work with a combination of Italian and other exchange students. Many of my courses also included company visits to study their business models and operations.

In what ways has your study-abroad experience enhanced or supported your McIntire education?

During my semester at Bocconi University, I took several classes such as Tourism, Local Identity, and Destination Management and Fashion Collections and Sustainability. In these classes, I was put into a group composed of both exchange students and local Italian students. Coming from different backgrounds, it was hard at first for my group to relate to one another, but having a similar experience with my ICE group, I was able to find a common ground among all of us and create a space to share our experiences. It was interesting to learn more about my Italian classmates and compare their upbringing to the U.S. It made me appreciate the diversity of experiences and thoughts we brought to our group project and how we were able to integrate it all together.

Outside of the classroom, what has been the most memorable experience you’ve had?

The most memorable experience was taking a solo trip to Naples. As a shy person, I knew I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone, and the best way for me to do that was to take several solo trips. Throughout the course of the semester, I solo traveled to Austria, Rome, Naples, Berlin, etc. Though it was scary at first, I quickly learned how to adapt and plan trips thoroughly. In particular, I was able to meet a new set of friends in Naples solely by taking a group tour of Pompeii and Vesuvius. As the only solo traveler in that group, I talked with the other travelers who came from various parts of Europe such as France and the U.K. We were able to bond over the painful steep climb up Mt. Vesuvius, and it was a powerful experience I would have never had if I traveled with a familiar group of friends. We all stayed in contact throughout the few days we were in Naples and had a farewell dinner at a restaurant with dancing and music. It was an unforgettable few days and something that I will always remember.

Steven Jiang in Positano on the Amalfi Coast

Steven Jiang in Positano on the Amalfi Coast.

How has studying abroad changed your perspective?

Being able to study abroad is an extremely humbling experience and provided a new perspective that I would not have gotten in the States. When I arrived in Italy, I didn’t know the language well enough to communicate with people, and it felt isolating at times. It puts the immigrant experience in my mind, thinking about how immigrants to the United States felt not knowing English or not being able to communicate with others. I think we take it for granted in the U.S. because everything we know is “normal” and comes firsthand. This study abroad experience made me appreciate the things that we take for granted such as being able to speak English everywhere. Coming out of this experience, I want to continue traveling the world and experiencing new cultures and traditions. There is so much out there in the world to discover and I’m glad I was able to get a small taste of it through studying in Milan!

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