"I truly don’t believe the experience would have been the same without the other dedicated and passionate people I was experiencing this with."
When I was accepted to Columbia, I knew I wanted to do the Columbia Summer Core in Paris: Art Humanities and Music Humanities program. Music and Art were influential parts of my life growing up, and I wanted the ability to devote all of my focus to these subjects in a way that would have been impossible at the Morningside Heights campus. What better place to do this type of immersive learning than in Paris, where so much of the art and music we would be studying was created?
When I was accepted to the program, it was truly a dream come true, but I hesitated to accept my spot in the program because of the potential financial burden it would place on my family. Once I was granted the Global Learning Scholarship (GLS), all of my stress fell away. GLS made it not only possible to afford tuition, but to not worry about day-to-day costs as well. This allowed me to say yes to almost every opportunity outside of the classroom that arose and immerse myself in Parisian culture as well as my academics.
Paris was everything I hoped it would be and more. Everywhere we went, there was art, from churches to the manicured gardens, and even the buildings. There was so much to see just outside of Reid Hall that we sometimes had class while walking around the neighborhood, looking at real-life examples of the architecture we were studying. We were so surrounded by gorgeous art that it became impossible to go to dinner with friends and not start discussing the architectural style of the restaurant we were in.
Having class outside of the classroom was often the norm for us, and one of my favorite places to have class was in the Louvre. We would be in the museum for 2 or 3 hours examining paintings in ways I didn’t even know were possible. Sometimes our professor would even have us sketch the paintings right there in the Louvre. But I believe my favorite museum trip was when we were given private access to the Musée d’Orsay. To experience the works of Monet, Manet, and Degas up close and in silence affected me deeply. I was able to connect with the paintings in ways I never had before, changing the way I interact with art for the rest of my life. My experience with music, when we heard live jazz music and attended the opera, was no different.
However, what I will cherish most are the friendships created in this program with the students and the professors. I truly don’t believe the experience would have been the same without the other dedicated and passionate people I was experiencing this with. Participating in the program is one of the best decisions I’ve made while at Columbia, and I would not have been able to do it without the support of the Global Learning Scholarship.
