On May 1, 2019, most of my friends were preparing for graduation while I was preparing for a summer in Italy. During this time, I felt very insecure that I would be graduating a semester later than everyone else. I began to question if I was even going to enjoy my time abroad for the whole summer, and if I would make many friends because I would be so much older than everyone else in the program. I had such uneasy feelings about leaving for Italy on May 5th. I had this negative view of my upcoming summer; however, I knew the Lord was about to prove me so wrong. 

After arriving in Italy on May 6th, I quickly began to see small glimpses into the best summer of my life. The friendships were made so quickly, and they have been so real and consistent since day one. It is as if the age difference is nonexistent among everyone in the group. I truly could not have been more wrong about how my summer would play out. 

I could not imagine any better way to end my college career than by living, studying, and traveling around Europe for twelve weeks with twenty-one new friends. This has been the best semester of growth and learning more about who I am. If I could go back to making the choice of graduating with friends or attending the program, I would not change a thing. It has been such a rewarding experience thus far, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!

XO- Mary Claire Pouncey