Ciao! My name is Mackenzie Wade, and I am in the Master’s of Science in Child life program at College of Charleston. I graduated from Furman University with my bachelor’s in psychology, and I have loved continuing my studies at CofC! I am currently studying Child Life and Italian culture in Florence, Italy where I am able to gain hands-on experience working with children in a variety of settings.
When I was applying for graduate school, I knew opportunities to work with children abroad would be an amazing learning experience, and it is something I have been looking forward to since deciding to attend CofC. Throughout this summer abroad program I have the opportunity to meet children in local schools, community gardens, and the children’s hospital. My classmates and I will be facilitating play interventions in some of these settings, and we will learn how to navigate these interactions despite a language barrier. This aspect of immersion has already enriched my cultural understanding of Florence, and I am excited to continue learning as our program continues.
As a future child life specialist, my role will involve working with hospitalized children to help them understand and cope with their experiences in the hospital. While gaining clinical experience at MUSC, I have certainly met children and families who speak a variety of languages. Since there is a language barrier with the children I meet in Florence, this experience will teach me how to interact with any child who I am unable to communicate with verbally in my future line of work. For me, this extends far beyond working with children who speak different languages. This can apply to working with children with hearing loss or developmental delays as well as to children who may be hesitant to communicate verbally.
I believe this experience abroad will teach me so much about Florentine culture, and I feel fortunate to have opportunities to interact with locals in a way which enriches my cultural understanding. I am so excited to take you through my experience studying in Florence and hope you are able to gain an understanding of Florentine culture through my upcoming blogs!