I applied to the Temple Rome Culture and Identity Envoy Program as it adds another dimension to what I want to accomplish while abroad. I am a first generation college student who identifies as both White and Latina. With this program, I would be able to reflect on this experience as a first-generation college student for both myself and others who study abroad after me. As a double major in English Writing and Global Health with a minor in Italian Cultural Studies, I bring an extremely interdisciplinary perspective to the table. I have been fortunate enough to indulge in studies that encompass all of my interests, and each has taught me different ways to learn, think, react, and take action in different situations. Furthermore, I am a POSSE Scholar at DePauw University which encompasses diversity and leadership within individuals. With these perspectives engraved in me as I go abroad, I am ready to share my experience and story in hopes of connecting with other students who are a part of this program and beyond. While studying abroad in Rome, I want to learn what it means to be a first generation college student engaging in a semester abroad and how a program like this could help both myself and others in terms of continuous support and reflection. I want to be comfortable within myself and my identity in a place that is unfamiliar while simultaneously learning and growing personally and intellectually in these spaces as well. I want to get familiar with the history of Rome, I want to make lifelong connections, and I want to become more confident in what I want to do career wise in the future. In emerging in a new culture and going out of the country alone for the first time, I want to engage in a personal and academic awakening.

Major: English Writing and Global Health

Minor: Italian