"My experience of Venice has been filled with wonder, friendships, and memories unlike any other."
Studying abroad in the Columbia Summer Science Program: Ecology and Sustainability in Venice was an experience so enchanting that I hoped it would never end. As a Human Rights major specializing in Sustainable Development, Venice became a living laboratory unlike any other. Each day held a blend of history, discovery, and scientific inquiry.
I walked through streets untouched by cars, past medieval palaces and bridges that have endured the tides of centuries, and into churches so meticulously preserved that they seemed suspended outside of time. And yet, my summer in Venice seemed to pass in an instant.
Our program unfolded in two distinct yet complementary settings. At Columbia’s Global Venice Research Center in Dorsoduro, I explored the academic heart of sustainability studies, while at Warwick's Venice Centre owned by the UK’s University of Warwick, I felt fully culturally and academically immersed every day. I felt like I was living in both Italy and the United Kingdom, having to explore Italian cultural norms outside the classroom and British lingo inside the classroom.
Beyond the classroom, the vegetation of Lido Beach became a living lab, while the canals and waters surrounding Venice revealed the delicate intersection of human activity, marine biodiversity, and climate change. Immersed in both Italian culture and British academic traditions, I felt I was living in two worlds at once.
My experience of Venice has been filled with wonder, friendships, and memories unlike any other. My amazing professors brought so much passion to early morning presentations and worked diligently with each of the students to guide us in creating research that was memorable and meaningful.
This program expanded my understanding of how ecological systems, human rights, and sustainable development are inseparably linked. Venice, with its fragile canals and resilient spirit, taught me that protecting the environment is also about protecting the dignity and future of the people who call it home.
Participating in the Ecology and Sustainability in Venice Program has expanded my knowledge on the environmental, social, and economic aspects of a contemporary Venice that I have come to know and love, a familiar city that can take a lifetime to learn.
