Jonathan Morrell | Summer 2024
As of right now, I’m halfway through my abroad experience in Italy for the summer of 2024!
The home city that I’m staying in is the beautiful city of Bologna, which is located in the north central region of Italy known as Emilia-Romagna. By the end of my abroad experience, I will have visited Bologna, Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence, and many other beautiful towns and cities that make up the identity of Italia!
So far my experience in Italy has been amazing! The professors and faculty have given their everything to make the UTK in Bologna program a completely rich experience that the students will never forget, and I’m extremely fortunate to be apart of this once in a lifetime journey.
What does the Volunteer Experience mean to you and how has your experience abroad contributed to it?
To me, the Volunteer experience is important because it makes up an aspect of my identity, maybe that’s because I’m an actual Knoxville native.
When it comes to my abroad experience contributing to my Volunteer experience, to me, that means being able to give advice and knowledge to my fellow students that are curious and interested in going abroad in the future.
What skills or experiences have you had in your time abroad to prepare you for life beyond UT?
My skills and experiences consisted of common sense, basic self-awareness, and not being afraid to make mistakes. I was a former marine, and I was the oldest student that was studying abroad so to me I felt more than qualified to represent the University of Tennessee and the United States.
“Global Engagement is important because it allows our home country to build better relationships with other foreign students that are interested in studying in America..“ -Jonathan Morrell