"Being able to be so incredibly immersed in Art and Music Humanities, especially in the cultural Mecca of Paris, was a life-changing experience and one that I’ll cherish forever."
Coming into Columbia a year ago, I thought that I had planned my four years exactly; my plans were set in stone. I had no idea just how much those plans would change and how easily they could be thrown out the window, but that is exactly what happened during my winter break. I stumbled upon the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement’s website and discovered that I could take Art Humanities and Music Humanities over the summer in Paris.
Stumbling onto that webpage and applying to the Columbia Summer Core in Paris program was the best thing I ever could have done. Being able to be so incredibly immersed in Art and Music Humanities, especially in the cultural Mecca of Paris, was a life-changing experience and one that I’ll cherish forever. Engaging firsthand with the artworks we had studied in class during our almost weekly visits to the Louvre was priceless and helped me understand the artwork on such a deeper level than had I only been able to see the artwork projected onto a screen. Seeing l’Orfeo at the Palace of Versailles, Cosi fan tutte at the Palais Garnier, and Swan Lake at the Opera Bastille performed by some of the best performers in the world allowed me to not only experience incredible performances but also see and analyze the architecture of the three different venues.
Being able to do Art and Music Humanities in Paris truly was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I will forever be thankful for my professors, classmates, program assistants, and everyone who played a role in making the experience so amazing. I am also especially grateful for the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement and the Global Learning Scholarship that they awarded me, which truly made this experience possible.
