My name and appearance have hints of Italian, however how faint. Italy was always a dream, a place I yearned to visit.

I am someone from a small Pennsylvania town, hoping to dip his toe into the cultural force of Europe, somebody without a stamp in his passport.

Many reasons come to mind for experiencing the pride of the Mediterranean-Florence in particular. As a fan of history I have appreciated the legacy of the Medici family, their patronage for the arts. As someone not too familiar with the ins and outs of paintings or statues I still appreciate the detail, admiring something I do not truly understand.

For the month of May the focus of my international experience is engineering perspectives of the Renaissance, studying how the great minds of their day, the Da Vincis and the Donatellos, changed the world through STEM thinking, bringing Europe out of the dark ages.

As the program progresses I hope to incorporate Renaissance thinking into my life, focusing on a harmonic triangle of sustainability, beauty, and function. Although my Florentine sojourn is only beginning, I already feel this place will leave an indelible impression.