Simone Brighenti, an exchange student from the University of Verona, holds up his Italian flag as he stands outside D Vickers. Brighenti, an accounting major will be attending the university throughout the fall semester.  Rachel Taylor/The Lion’s Roar

The university has many partnerships with international universities. One of the partnerships is with Università degli Studi di Verona, and it has been in effect for around 10 years. 

Languages and Communication Department Head Dr. Lucia Harrison created the partnership in conjunction with Professor Francesco Fiumara. Harrison who is an alumna of the University of Verona herself.

“I saw that there was this opportunity to start an exchange program with a university in Europe, and I said, ‘Well, why not Verona?’” said Harrison.

She went on to explain why Verona is a desirable location for study abroad programs.

“Verona has a unique location,” said Harrison. “First of all, it is not too big or too small. It is the perfect size. Also, it is so close to everywhere in Europe. In an hour and a half, I can be in Austria, Serbia, Croatia or France.”

Verona also has a lot of historical associations. It is the location of William Shakespeare’s famous “Romeo and Juliet,” the home of the world’s largest wine festival “Vinitaly,” and is the point of origin for the eponymous Verona Red Marble.

“It’s a wonderful city,” said Harrison. “That’s where I studied. I will always have a special spot for that city.”

Simone Brighenti is the university’s current exchange student from Verona. He explained why he chose to study at the university.

“I had to pick between two choices for my project,” said Brighenti. “It’s a project called World Wide Studies at the University of Verona. My first choice was South Korea, and my second was Southeastern. For my grades and for my GPA and for my love of English, the university thought it was better for me to come here. So, they sent me here, and I was really happy.”

Once he arrived at the university, Brighenti began assisting Dr. Fiumara with “Caffe Italia.” He also tutors in the language lab.

“It’s really enjoyable to help people,” said Brighenti. “It can be a little stressful to help people with Spanish because I have to think in Spanish and translate in English.”

Brighenti discussed one of the highlights he has experienced while studying in the United States.

“One of the friends that I made took me out to see Bogalusa,” said Brighenti. “I had the chance to meet his family, and they were really kind to me. They helped me a lot, we did a cruise on the Mississippi, and at night we were catching frogs. It was really cool. I had never done that in Italy.”

Interested students can find out more by contacting the International Initiatives Office, or by going to their page on the university’s website.

“I think every student should experience a study abroad opportunity, either for a semester, for a month, just some kind of cultural experience with another country,” said Harrison. “It’s just so important. It will help you in your resume, it will help you job searching, it will open your mind. You are more tolerant of other cultures.”