Greetings All,

My name is Brenna Freeman and I just finished my freshman year at Embry-Riddle. This university has so many amazing opportunities, one of which is the Study Abroad Program.

I initially heard of the organization during the fall activities fair that took place near the beginning of first semester. Steven Bohlemann, a student who works in the Study Abroad Office, had a table set up with pictures, posters, and flyers. He was the one who suggested that I look online at the Daytona Beach Study Abroad webpage, where there was information about summer programs, semester exchanges, dual degrees, and scholarships. For knowledge for opportunities in Prescott, Arizona, look here.

To get involved with Study Abroad, I filled out the application form provided online here for Daytona Beach, Prescott is here, and visited the program’s office. In Daytona, the Study Abroad Office is located above the Departure Lounge, which can be found near the university bookstore.

After entering, climb the stairs and look for a plain wooden door almost directly across the room from the staircase. Go through the door and proceed down the hallway until there is a branch to the right that has a sign reading “Study Abroad”.

Turn right, enter through the class doors, and make another right. At the end of the hall, to the left, is the Study Abroad Program office.

Working in the office are Steven Bohlemann, Kris Fields, and Sue Macchiarella, who is the Assistant Director of Study Abroad.

I talked to them and figured out which program would best fit my major.

The program I am specifically involved in is Siena, Italy. It starts on May 14 and ends on June 10. I’ll be taking two humanities classes, HU 199 The Culture and Dialects of Tuscany taught at Societa Dante Alighieri, an Italian institution, and HU 399 Italian Culture instructed by ERAU professors Dr. Alan Pratt and Dr. Robert Fleck. Both courses are worth three credits and fulfill the humanities requirements of my degree program, Aerospace Engineering. Furthermore, since I am in the Honors Program, Study Abroad also satisfies my HON 350 requirement. I was elated to find out that not only was I able to make my semester course load lighter and more manageable, but studying abroad cost less that attending Summer A on campus at ERAU. I found out this information and other helpful factoids when I attended Study Abroad meetings.

During assemblies held by the program, I learned about the wide variety of educational opportunities available (Italy, England, France, Germany, etc.). For example, the different programs were described in detail and many pictures were shown of our exotic classrooms-some programs travel to different countries while teaching. I am not sure about other programs, but for Siena, Italy, meals are not included in the original price. As a result, it is suggested that students budget for $30 a day. I also discovered that enrolling in the program does not mean that students are registered for classes. Therefore, students need to fill out the course registration forms, which can be conveniently found at Records and Registration, located upstairs above the departure lounge and near the Study Abroad Office. After I completed all the unexciting administrative paperwork, I started the first leg of my journey to Italy.

Currently, I am spending a week in Killeen, Texas visiting family friends. I have picked up plenty of reading materials in preparation for my long layovers and plane flight. In addition, I went through my suitcase yet another time to minimize the weight. This will make it easier to travel in Europe, where I will have to haul my own luggage multiple city blocks to get to my destination, Residenza San Domenico. At the end of this week, I will wake up at 4:30am and board an airplane to Houston. The first of three flights to Italy!