Tobin Chambers, Gabby Drusano and Bridget Tiffey of the women's lacrosse team spent the Fall 2023 semester in Italy and write about their time in Milan, the second most populous city in Italy. The trio was joined for part of the semester by teammate Cate Manos. Here is their experience.

By Tobin Chambers '25

Before coming to WAC, I always knew I wanted to study abroad or travel the world. Initially, I didn't think I would be able to with the commitment I had to lacrosse, but all my coaches were so supportive and encouraging for me to go on this adventure and experience life outside of the United States. Along with my commitment to Lacrosse, I didn't know how studying abroad would affect my school commitment, I had to figure out how I could fit a semester abroad into my school schedule. Luckily, my professors were very helpful. As soon as I knew I could study abroad I started applying to a few places. I've always wanted to go to Italy, which is where I ended up, but I was also interested in the program at Bond University, on the Gold Coast of Australia. One of my best friends and teammates, Emma Fisher, studied there this past fall and had an amazing time!

My experience abroad was one of the best opportunities I could have had. Living in Milan, Italy with three of my best friends for four months made the semester 10 times better, we were able to travel to countless cities and countries and make memories that will last a lifetime. Not only could I be with my teammates, Cate Manos, Gabby Drusano, and Bridget Tiffey, I was also able to meet so many other study abroad students from all over the world. Immersing myself in a whole new culture was never really a struggle, knowing I wasn't alone. Of course, there were some difficulties with the language barrier and some cultural norms but overall, I think we acclimated pretty well. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone by living in another country, doing school, and traveling Europe is something I never thought I would be doing at 20 years old, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me.

Knowing I was going to be traveling to so many different places I wanted something that I could take home and remember each place I visited, so I decided to bring home magnets, postcards, and T-shirts… as we kept traveling, I added pins to my travel backpack. Looking back, I'm so happy I decided to add these little keepsakes to my collection because now I have little pieces from all over Europe that will stick with me forever. Overall, I would recommend studying abroad to anyone who can. It is such a breath of fresh air when you need it the most, the people you meet and the culture you immerse yourself in is something so special that I will cherish forever.

By Gabby Drusano '25

I never really understood when people would say that study abroad was a life-changing experience, but after spending the past semester with three of my best friends and fellow teammates in Milan, Italy, I can confidently say study abroad definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made. 
 
Being on the women's lacrosse team and majoring in Biology, I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to have the opportunity to study abroad. However, the beauty of Washington College is that it is a small college and allowed me to have one-on-one time with my advisors and coaches. My advisors, professors, and coaches encouraged me to go abroad and helped me plan a schedule to keep me on track for the Spring. While in Milan, I studied at the Universita Cattolicá del Sacro Cuore. I ended up taking five classes, most of which didn't necessarily relate to my major, but filled out distribution requirements needed for WAC. Being able to take classes about fashion and food in Italy was such a cool experience and allowed me to see everything we were learning in class be put into practice.  
 
Milan is also a huge city, which is obviously a huge change from WAC. It was super fun to have this environment for the semester, and we truly got to experience all the architecture, food, fashion, and fun the city has to offer. Additionally, we got the opportunity to travel a ton! Me and teammates Bridget Tiffey, Cate Manos, and Tobin Chambers got to travel to countless cities and nine countries in our time here. One of our favorite trips included a weekend in Paris visiting our friend and men's lacrosse player Will Charvala. I personally also loved Vienna, Barcelona, and Ibiza as well.  
 
Being in Milan and in an exchange program also gave us the opportunity to meet so many new people. We had classmates and friends from Australia, Mexico, France, and Germany, but also from Boston College, LSU, and University of Wisconsin. We additionally had the opportunity to meet up with women's lacrosse players from our very own conference. Seeing some friends on Franklin & Marshall and Muhlenberg's teams in Europe was so much fun, and really got us all excited for the Spring. 
 
While I've been able to see the Colosseum in Rome, Eiffel Tower in Paris, the mountains of Switzerland and the Duomo of Milan, there truly is no place like home. Facetiming our teammate Emma Fisher and friend Tegan Murray studying in Australia has been fun, but it's time to see them, and the rest of our team and friends back at WAC. There is nothing I would recommend more than for every student and student-athlete to consider studying abroad. The break in your college career to meet new people and try new things is so rewarding it's hard to put into words. But, with that said, being back on the KIB playing lacrosse with my best friends is something I can't wait to come back to. Roll Shore! 
 
By Bridget Tiffey '25

"It's a big world out there, it would be a shame not to experience it." – Jo Andrews

One of the many reasons why I chose Washington College was because of the wonderful Study Abroad Program! Being able to study abroad has always been a dream of mine and I am so ecstatic I
was able to do so this past fall!

I am a Human Growth and Development Major with an Elementary Education Certification. I knew that taking Elementary Education classes abroad was not feasible because my school abroad did not have an education program. But with WAC's phenomenal education professors, I was able to figure out early what classes to set aside to take in Milan. I studied at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in the heart of Milan. This fall I was able to take classes such as: The Italian Mafia, Italy and its Culinary Traditions, Drama in the Commedia Dell'Arte, Fashion Images and the City of Milan, and Italian.
These classes truly gave me a deep understanding of the culture, traditions, food and history of Italy.

I was fortunate to share this semester with my teammates (Gabby Drusano, Tobin Chambers, and Cate Manos) and we traveled to:
 
-Vienna, Austria
-Munich, Germany
-Dachau, Germany
-Lake Garda, Italy 
-Camogli, Italy
-Vatican City
-Rome, Italy
-Venice, Italy
-Florence, Italy
-Lake Como, Italy
-Ibiza, Spain
-Barcelona, Spain
-Interlaken, Switzerland
-Perugia, Italy
-Budapest, Hungary
-Paris, France
 
(We were able to meet up with Men's Lacrosse player, Will Charvala, in Munich, Barcelona, and Paris!)
 
This semester I have been able to learn things that simply cannot be taught. I was able to learn about my classmates' lives and cultures from all over the world. I had classmates from China, Lithuania, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, Sweden, France, Germany, and England. I learned how to speak Italian and the ways of public transportation in a city. I was able to learn how to cook classic Italian dishes.
 
I gained so much perspective for what it is like to live in a foreign culture for four months. I have really enjoyed being able to immerse myself into Italian culture. I cannot wait to return to Chestertown to share all my experiences and memories with my teammates and classmates. I am looking forward to returning to the Kib with my teammates on February 1st.
 
I am so thankful and blessed for this experience of a lifetime. Ciao for now Milan!