It’s a little crazy to me that we have been in Italy for just over a week now! It just doesn’t seem real because things are already off to such a great start, it feels like we are in a movie!  I was definitely scared coming here, because I don’t like not knowing what to expect. But this has been a breeze! I already feel connected to all of the other students and even our first week has been amazing. I spent my first weekend here with four fellow new Chigi Babies in Rome, and we had the time of our lives exploring, eating, and simply taking it all in.

           One of my favorites experiences so far was today. Lacey told us we were going to be doing a four hour “leadership workshop” and I could tell by everyone’s faces that we didn’t know what to expect. Little did we know that we were about to have the best day. Carmen Westbrook came to talk to us about leadership and led us through group exercises. The mood instantly changed when the activities began and we realized it wasn’t what we expected at all. We took turns talking about where we see ourselves in five years, and then decided how we were going to accomplish it. She placed us into groups and we brainstormed how each of us could accomplish our dreams. Everyone was glowing and you could feel the excitement from talking about our futures. I am so excited to take back this exercise to my Interior Design cohort because I know that it is something everyone can truly grow from.

           The four hours went by like it had been thirty minutes, and because of those four hours all of our attitudes have completely transformed. Everyone was already so supportive and kind, but now we are fully ready to conquer these next ten weeks and help each other become the best versions of ourselves!

It was empowering.

Allison Elrod