Over Spring Break, a group of Meredith students traveled to Italy for a week of studying the connections between William Shakespeare and race. These students stayed at Meredith’s palazzo in Sansepolcro, studying Shakespeare’s plays and their historical context, as well as examining some of the plays that feature characters of color. The trip also featured excursions to Venice, Verona, and other settings of Shakespeare’s plays.
According to Dr. Romanelli, Director of the Student Success Center, the most important aspect was encouraging students to “get outside of [their] cultural comfort zones in order to be more objective about [their] own behavior” in relation to intercultural communication. Romanelli believes that “all students were able to observe differences between cultures and suspend judgement about those differences.” She described discussing the historical role of Italy and its culture, as well as its modern role while surrounded by the architecture and art of Italy. According to Romanelli, “the entire city of Venice bears the beautiful marks of centuries of cultural exchanges with the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.”
Callie DeBellis, the Director of Meredith in Italy and Professor of Practice of Spanish, stated that “one of the keys to being successful in this type of endeavor is to understand [oneself] as a cultural being” and remember that a person’s “own cultural identities and values serve as a lens for every interaction [individuals] have when facing differences.” Debellis stated that she believed that students needed to be willing to be uncomfortable in order to learn while abroad.
Hannah Bursey, ‘26, was one of the students who attended the program. She described her enjoyment of learning about the history of Shakespeare in the settings of many of his plays, with the opportunity to experience Italian culture while also finishing several of her general education requirements. Bursey also noted how different Italian food was from Italian-American food, and how she enjoyed the opportunity to experience it. According to Bursey, Romanelli was very “involved with the class” and Debellis “helped [the students] settle in in Italy.” Bursey mentioned that she was given a crash course in basic Italian, and that overall, she would recommend the program to anyone who is interested. She stated that she met many “nice people” who she hoped would be able to “stay in contact” with.
Romanelli advises students that are interested in studying abroad to “embrace [one’s] desire to get outside [their] comfort zone and cultural humility.” She added that the students who “do the best abroad” are those who “learn from experience” and “take feedback on their interactions with others.” She added that “Emphasizing those skills or the willingness to develop them are the best things to shine through in an application.” Debellis echoed this sentiment, stating that “The most transformative experiences happen when students are open to being uncomfortable and learning from those moments.”
By: Lola Mestas, Copy Editor
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC