Pallas Hoffman

Studying abroad in Florence, Italy was an incredible experience. Once I got past the language barrier, navigating through the city and daily life became more and more enjoyable. Even though it was a short period of time, I still had the chance to build strong relationships with my host family, internship supervisor, and my colleagues. While balancing schoolwork and my internship abroad was challenging, my experience in Florence was the perfect balance between academic growth and cultural exchange. The skills and global perspective that I gained while studying abroad are invaluable. 

One of the things that surprised me was how genuine most of the people I met were. I felt like each interaction I had was meaningful. For example, every time you walk into the shop you are greeted, and are expected to return that greeting no matter what. This was something that I have brought back with me to the United States. 

I would like to use the work experience I had during my construction management internship in Florence, as a way to continue my future career as an architect in Germany, post-graduation. Learning about European construction methods was insightful and helped me gain a better understanding of how a project is developed in Europe.