Hello! My name is Jaden Stepp. I’m approaching my senior year at the College of Charleston. I can’t believe how fast time is flying by! My major is Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. My minor is Italian, which is what brings me to Italy this summer, where I will be studying at the Umbra Institute in Perugia through the affiliate program, Arcadia.

I chose this program through a recommendation from a friend who studied here for a semester in the fall. Having a shared affinity for Italian food and wine, she recommended I take a food studies course the program offers, in which you get to explore the intersection of life and cuisine, which is my primary interest in going to Italy, a country whose history is deeply rooted in food traditions.

One of my goals in studying abroad is to practice my Italian on a daily basis by speaking with and getting to know my neighbors, going to cafes and markets. I also want to practice getting as close to my food sources as possible, such as by going to local family farms that have been worked by generation after generation of family members. Italy has 20 regions with distinct landscapes that shape each of their cuisines, so I’d like to explore as many as possible.

Another goal I have is to see all of the art! From renaissance architecture to cinema to the works of Michelangelo, the list goes on and on. It will be surreal to see the works we’ve studied in my Italian courses at the College in actuality. The vast landscapes will be just as beautiful as the art itself, which I hope to explore as well. For example, Lake Trasimeno is just a 30 minute train ride from Perugia. Only 3 more days till I arrive… so I better get to packing!