The University of Massachusetts Amherst

An aerial photo of the UMass campus
Admissions
Student Voices

From Italy to UMass

Image
UMass Amherst student standing on a city street

Although it is not often thought of as exotic, people come from all over the world to experience the rustic charm of Western Massachusetts. Take Giorgia Italia, who grew up in Milan, Italy, but fell in love with the United States and University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Giorgia originally came to America for a year of high school but had to go home early due to a wrist injury. But by that point, it was too late—she had already made up her mind about spending much more time stateside. She chose to go to college in the US and enrolled at UMass after careful consideration, as she could see herself “being a student here when I was on tour.”

When Giorgia moved in she was very intimidated because she “came here knowing no one. The first couple days were harsh because I realized a lot of people were in-state and knew someone here and I didn’t,” she says. But this feeling of isolation did not even last a week as Giorgia “met the people in front of me in my hallway and we became friends and that really helped me … I found people in my dorm. I am still friends with them even though we are not in the same dorm as sophomores.”

As these new friendships formed, Giorgia’s confidence blossomed, and she branched out deeper into the campus community. She got a job working as a tour guide, giving tours like the one that convinced her to come to UMass. In her time working that job, she also befriended fellow tour guides, providing her with more support. When Giorgia is not busy with classes or her job, she enjoys going roller skating with friends at the Hampshire Mall. She feels that “everything I am now, all the things I do outside class, it all started from the support of the people in my dorm around me.”

In terms of academics, Giorgia chose the unique path of majoring in animal science with a minor in art history. She enjoys the hands-on style of her classes and the practical experiences she gets at the Student Farm. She was surprised to find that poultry management has been her favorite class due to how much it taught her. “You get to learn about the animal while you handle it,” she explains.

Like anyone who attends school so far from home, Giorgia can get homesick at times. However, she reminds herself, “My friends here are supportive. So when I get homesick, I understand I have a family here too.” In addition, she has found that  “Amherst does actually remind me a little bit of home. There’s always something to do. There’s so many activities. I really like the area here …  like apple picking, pumpkin patches, and walking around campus and seeing all the squirrels and the people and the trees changing colors — we don’t have fall like this in Italy!”