Students who participated in a Regis College-sponsored study away experience in Milan, Italy learned first-hand how connecting with individuals from another country is at the heart of international education, a priority for the university’s Center for Global Connections.
The six Regis students traveled with Prof. Julia Lisella to Milan to participate in the Università Cattolica Summer Program which included six academic tracks, each offering a variety of two-week intensive, three-credit classes alongside students from Australia, Poland and the United States.
“For my first abroad trip ever, I wouldn't want to spend it any other way,” said Taika Seize ’24. “I experienced being a student, living abroad, and going out of my comfort zone as if I was living like a local. I’d suggest for students studying abroad to do something different every weekend or change up your routine on the weekday so it's just not going to class and back to the apartment/dorm."
“My fondest memory of the program was being able to explore a new city and country with new friends from around the world,” said Liam Austin, ’26. “It allowed me to experience new culture, languages, food, and more.”
One course, “Writing a Story: The Art of Captivating People Through Storytelling” was offered within the Cultural Studies track and was open to students of all majors. The course satisfies either a literature or expressive arts CORE requirement, making it a unique learning experience for Regis students across the university’s four schools.
“This experience has enhanced my Regis education by allowing me to bring what I have learned in Milan back home,” added Austin. “Specifically in my writing, where my class in literature has taught me a whole new world in writing, from another part of the world.”
In addition to learning storytelling skills and participating in writing workshops, the students benefitted from engaging with students from Australia, Poland, and other parts of the U.S. For one Regis student, traveling through Milan with “friends I made from around the world” was one of the highlights of the program.
“The experience that Regis provided me has helped me excel in my writing abilities,” said Drew Reppucci, ’26, who traveled abroad for the first time on this trip. “Getting to take a class with a professional screen writer was a once and a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget.”
The Regis and Cattolica partnership dates to 2016 and has evolved to a co-teaching, faculty-led model that the institutions have developed over several years. For example, Writing a Story: The Art of Captivating People Through Storytelling was designed by Cattolica Prof. Mara Perbellini but welcomes faculty from other institutions to co-teach the class, offering students additional perspectives. Having previously studied in Italy, the opportunity for Regis Prof. Lisella to return to Italy with her own students and to collaborate with an accomplished screenwriter and academic in Prof. Perbellini was one she was quick to embrace.
“Teaching in the Cattolica program is such a unique and valuable cross-cultural experience for a teacher as well as for the students,” said Prof. Lisella. “As a teacher, I loved playing a small part in this experience for our students, watching them grow, not only as writers but as world citizens.”
Since 2021, the university’s Center for Global Connections has expanded its partner programming to offer more study abroad opportunities in additional countries. Recognizing that 49 percent of U.S. study abroad participants elect short-term programs in the summer, Regis Global has introduced new faculty-led program options in May, June, and July in Europe and Latin America.
“Developing partner programs that are balanced in the intercultural exchange and thus more poised for success and sustainability is a strategic imperative for Regis’s Center for Global Connections,” said Megan Gibbons, PhD, director of the program. “As the university continues to strengthen its global ties with existing and new international partner universities, it must do so with intentional and innovative programming that is mutually beneficial and piques student interest.
To learn more about upcoming programs and deadlines, visit the Center for Global Connections (College Hall 207) or email global@regiscollege.edu.
