Mallory Rongier
Junior - International Studies Major, French Minor
Grenoble, France (in the French Alps!)
Goals: frequent skiing in the alps, perfect my French, gain global friendships, travel a lot! I’m super passionate about traveling and new experiences and adapting to new cultures so I’m super excited for this experience!
And hope to gain some professional level communication and connections for internships in France or possible future job opportunities within France/Europe.
Travel goal destinations: United Kingdom, Iceland, Spain, Germany, Morocco, and hopefully more.
Other thoughts: I’m living with a host family in a cool apartment right in the city of Grenoble! Grenoble is a small city, easy to get around and not too overwhelming like Paris.
Fun facts: Grenoble is located in the valleys surrounded by three mountains, Chartreuse (monks have lived in monasteries on this mountain for hundreds of years and make their own liquor named after the mountain - which I have yet to try), Vercors mountain (relatively flat, they call it the “plateau”, and the Belledonne mountains which are the French alps that connect to the Swiss and Italian alps, this one always has a ton of beautiful snow and they are the highest mountains.
More fun facts: You will always find a mountain at the end of each street when walking around Grenoble. (I’ve tried looking for streets without mountains at the end and I have yet to find one).
Grenoble held the 1968 Winter Olympics games.
About me?: Born and raised outside of Paris, France until I was 5 years old, then moved to the United States. My dad is French and my mom is American. We speak both languages at home so we have been able to keep both languages without losing too much. Although I do not know how to write, so I am hoping on making a lot of progress on writing and grammar this semester :)
Ashley Budzilo
I’m a Sophomore Physician Assistant Major that will be studying at the American University of Rome. I am very excited to start my journey in Europe and the Eternal City of Rome. A goal of mine while studying abroad is to push myself out of my comfort zone to try to new things and meet new people so that I can later share these different experiences with everyone back at home.
Mary Kate Pritz
I am a sophomore Physician Assistant major. I am studying in Rome, Italy at the American University of Rome. I have always loved traveling, and I love Italy, but this is my first time visiting the city of Rome. I am planning excursions around Europe, and I am so excited to see as much as I can! I hope to immerse myself in the food, culture, art, and architecture of Rome and other cities I visit. I am so grateful for this unbelievable experience!
Jenna Sulecki
Major: Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary and Applied Theatre Studies degree program
Year: Senior
Study Abroad Placement: Mary Immaculate College (Limerick, Ireland)
Megan Hamm
Major: Theatre and Communication Arts
Year: Third year (Junior year)
Study Abroad Placement: Mary Immaculate College (Limerick, Ireland)
Travel: I am thankful that Gannon has provided me with an opportunity to live and study abroad. My goal is to bring back something to share with the Gannon community.
Olivia Szalanski
I am studying abroad in Rome, Italy and am currently a sophomore business management and marketing major. I've always been interested in traveling and this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I'm very interested in learning about the various cultures and the way people live their lives day to day.
Robert Burke
Major: Computer Science
Year: Junior (Second semester)
Studying at Hochschule Esslingen, located in Esslingen, Germany. The university and town are just outside of Stuttgart in the southwestern region of Germany.
This will be my first trip to mainland Europe as an adult. When I was six I visited my aunt who was working in Köln (AKA Cologne, but I prefer the German to the French spelling/pronunciation). Since then I've been to the UK, specifically England and Scotland, when I was 14 (2010) and again when I was 17 (2013).
I'm hoping this semester will help me find my answer to that question that plagues all students: "What do I want to do after I graduate?" Especially considering that as of when I'm writing this, I've got a year and change to figure that out. But even if I don't, I'll have had a great adventure that I can take with me forever (and it wouldn't look too shabby on a resume either).
