Kanya Shah

I spent the Spring 2023 semester studying aerospace engineering in Florence, Italy, marking my second study abroad experience with Syracuse University. By immersing myself in Italian culture, I challenged myself to communicate primarily in the native language, which significantly enhanced my linguistic skills through interactions with professors and local Italians. My interactions with the Desi community present in Italy enabled me to speak Hindi and Gujarati abroad which was an unexpected but wonderful surprise. This multilingual environment deepened my appreciation for linguistics and its role in global engineering. My time in Florence not only enriched my cultural perspective but also provided valuable insights into specific career paths within aerospace engineering, particularly through exposure to Italy’s research contributions to the field.