Global Ambassadors
Study Abroad
Global Ambassadors are a valuable resource for students who are researching study abroad programs. Global Ambassadors are current Salve Regina students who've completed one of the University's approved study abroad programs. They are happy to share their experiences and answer questions. It's a great way to get the student perspective and ask questions that only those who've been there can answer.
Fiona Gorman
Major: Elementary education
Study abroad location: London, England. St. Mary's University: Spring 2024
What was the most meaningful experience you had abroad? What made it so memorable?
Sitting in the cable cars above the River Thames with the group of Salve girls who also chose to study abroad at St. Mary's. The view of the city was breathtaking and we just had a day full of London activities that we had all planned out. It was a surreal moment and I just thought about how close I had gotten to these people that I shared a campus with at home. Without London and going abroad I would have never made these types of bonds.
What do you wish more people knew about the study abroad experience?
The people you meet on your trip will make your experience 10x better. Even if these people are from Salve or other countries, integrating and building these friendships away from home makes them so much more meaningful. Meeting people abroad who have the same interests as you will open so many doors and make the time away fly by.
Why do you think Salve Regina students should study abroad?
To gain confidence, make friends, and see a world outside of the United States.
Kayla Brundage
Major: Psychology, minor in criminal justice and criminology
Study abroad location: Sippy Downs, Australia. University of the Sunshine Coast: Fall 2023
What was the most meaningful experience you had abroad?
I was taking a class about indigenous Australia and there was a woman who was taking the class to educate herself further about her children as they were half indigenous. This was memorable because the classes I was enrolled in were so diverse in age and it was amazing to hear this woman's story about what her education means to her. Not only was I gaining alternative perspectives on culture and ways of living, but alternative perspectives on the value of education in another country as well.
What do you wish more people knew about the study abroad experience?
This is an opportunity you will never have again in your life. Visiting a country for a vacation is one thing, but being able to live as a local for 4-6 months is surreal. The people you meet and the friendships you make while you're abroad are lifelong because this experience is once in a lifetime.
Why do you think Salve Regina students should study abroad?
Salve Regina students should study abroad because of how easy it is. There is a program for everyone, and the staff are all so helpful and organized that the process was seamless. Everyone in the office was helpful and supportive every step of the way and made an otherwise overwhelming leap of faith seem simple, easy and straightforward.
Amelia Silvestro
Major: Studio Art – Graphic Design
Study abroad location: Oxford, England. St. Clare’s (Oxford): Spring 2024
What was the most meaningful experience you had abroad?
One of the most meaningful experiences for me abroad was creating memories with my friend while traveling.
What do you wish more people knew about the study abroad experience?
Studying abroad can expand your boundaries and push you outside of your comfort zone allowing you to experience things you might not have at home.
Why do you think Salve Regina students should study abroad?
I think Salve Regina students should study abroad because it’s a chance to experience another culture while you don’t have as much responsibilities as you will once you graduate.
Rose Giordani
Major: Psychology
Study abroad location: Milan, Italy. Cattolica (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore): Fall 2024
What was the most memorable experience you had abroad?
The most memorable experience I had abroad was becoming familiar with the locals in Italy. Specifically at my favorite local coffee shop. It made me feel as thought I had a home while I was thousands of miles away from it. I was able to learn the language at a deeper level and deepen my connections with the community around me.
What do you wish more people knew about the study abroad experience after having lived a semester in another country?
You need to give yourself grace. Going in with major expectations and feeling as though aren’t fulfilling them quick enough, is damaging to your metal health. Allowing yourself time to adjust was the most beneficial thing I did while beginning my study abroad experience.
Why do you think Salve Regina students should study abroad?
My perspective of the world is now greatly enriched beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I was able to experience so many different cultures in only a 4 month period. I have friends from all of the world that became my family. It is truly an experience I wish everyone would get the chance to embark on.
Hannah Rezendes
Major: Psychology and dance
Study abroad location: Florence, Italy. API Lorenzo de’ Medici: Fall 2023
What was the most meaningful experience you had abroad?
The most meaningful experience I had abroad was becoming friends with locals who owned a cafe/restaurant. My friends and I went there for dinner our first week abroad and I knew from the moment I walked in it was going to be a special place in our lives. We went there for breakfast every morning and would stop by for drinks at night (it was a 1-minute walk from my apartment which was great!). Going there became a tradition and helped Florence feel like home for me. On the last day, my friends and I gave the owners flowers, a card, and a picture of us outside their restaurant. A few hours later, our picture was hung up on their wall. In that moment I knew Florence had become such a special place in my life. I still keep in touch with them online and my friends and I are planning to go visit Florence again and stay at their apartments!! Ricordi was the name of the cafe/restaurant, and the translation of Ricordi is memories, which makes it even more fitting that Ricordi was the most meaningful and memorable experience of my time abroad.
What do you wish more people knew about the study abroad experience?
I wish people knew how beautiful and rewarding the study-abroad experience was, but honestly, I believe that a person cannot truly understand how the study-abroad experience will change their life until they experience it firsthand. You can show people pictures, tell them every single story, and Facetime them in, but until they get to live in a foreign country and adjust to a whole new lifestyle, they won't be able to fully wrap their heads around it. So I would want people to know that the study abroad experience is everything they are imagining/hoping for and more. There will obviously be challenges that one will have to experience when they are abroad, but overcoming those challenges is even more rewarding when you are abroad. All in all, I want people to know that it will be the best time of their life.
Why do you think Salve Regina students should study abroad?
Salve Regina is a great school that offers so many incredible opportunities to its students, but I also think it is very important to go explore life beyond Newport. There is SO much more to this world and going abroad is a once and a lifetime opportunity. I have become a new person since going abroad. I am more independent, more confident, more dedicated, and more present in my everyday life. Those are lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, including the rest of my time here at Salve. Being away from Salve also made me appreciate the beauty, lively campus, and community we have here.
Taylor Ross
Major: Elementary education
Study abroad location: London, England. St. Mary’s University, Spring 2024
What was the most meaningful experience you had abroad?
The most meaningful experience I had abroad was my first solo trip to Italy. Previously, I had visited family in Rome and Spotorno with my parents, but this time, I traveled with a close friend. It was the most liberating experience of my life. Navigating a new city and a language I wasn’t fluent in challenged me to grow my independence and build character.
Italy had always been a dream destination, and exploring its cities on my own felt incredibly fulfilling. Without the familiar routine of traveling with my family, I was free to take paths I wouldn't normally choose, leading to countless cherished memories.
What do you wish more people knew about the study abroad experience?
When you do research before studying abroad, such as looking at TikToks and reading articles from college students, they do know what they are talking about. I would look up what to pack on a weeklong trip exploring a city and I didn't think I would need things like a paper fan or carabiners to keep your zippers closed, turns out they would have come in super handy. From personal experience, take the advice you get and research you do to heart because 9/10 times it is highly useful information.
Why do you think Salve Regina students should study abroad?
The memories I have from studying abroad are some of the best I've made to date. The people I've met and the friends I grew closer to were what made those memories so special. The freedom of being on your own, doing what you want, and going where you want is the best feeling. I would say this a million times again—I highly suggest that you study abroad if you have the opportunity!
Kaleigh Trischman
Major: Cultural and historic preservation, Sociology and anthropology
Study abroad location: Cork, Ireland. University College: Spring 2024
What was the most meaningful experience you had abroad?
Some of my most cherished memories were quiet weekends with my friends. I studied in Ireland, and on Saint Patrick’s day, we spent all day together in town watching the parade and sharing the feeling of joy the seemed to resonate through our entire city. We capped the day off by cooking a quiet family dinner, which quickly became a favorite and heavily repeated tradition. I think there is so much pressure to travel during study abroad, and it is one of the most important parts of the experience, but I think there is also something to be said in becoming a part of your local community. While we made some truly special memories traveling, our best days were spent in our ‘home’ city taking in its unique culture and enjoying each others company.
What do you wish more people knew about the study abroad experience?
An unexpected part of studying abroad for me was how different I felt as an American. It was the first time where I talked, ate, and dressed differently from the people around me. At first it felt isolating and embarrassing, but I quickly realized that people were just as curious about my culture as I was of theirs. As I described the differences and answered their questions about my life at home, I gained a new pride in the region that shaped me. While it was fun to enter a different culture for the semester, my new appreciation made it exciting to return back to the United States.
Why do you think Salve Regina students should study abroad?
Studying abroad is one of the best things you can do for your education. I took unique and interesting courses in my major I never would have been able to take normally. We took field trips to castles, prehistoric ruins, and gave presentations in the national museum using priceless artifacts. I was challenged academically and learned entirely new techniques and perspectives that shaped my professional future. The country I studied in became an extension of the classroom, and when I was able to travel, I interacted with cultural sites that I had only heard about in textbooks. Even further, I learned independence, how to make relationships with people outside of my own culture, and how to balance my school and social life. During study abroad, everything becomes a beautiful learning experience, everywhere you go is a classroom and everyone you meet is a teacher!