THON in Florence
Their work in Florence extends beyond the summer session, though. For example, in February 2020, the Robins (written for simplification) found themselves in Florence planning a THON program with ISI-Florence, their partners there for many years.
“We wanted to take THON abroad,” they explained.
The event was a success. It lasted for an afternoon. The mayor attended, as did Zia Caterina, a local taxi driver whose work in the area of cancer philanthropy is unparalleled. Penn State students participated in the event, though any American student was invited as well, and many came from the University of Connecticut among others. The event was livestreamed during domestic THON, directly into the BJC.
The Robins celebrated their success and returned to the United States. On their way back to the U.S., they were met with the news that Italy had instituted a full lockdown. A few days later, Penn State’s Education Abroad team would work to pull all students back to the U.S. from their programs.
Back to the world
The Robins’ summer program was cancelled for 2020, as were all other programs. Everyone spent months in lockdown and quarantine. Slowly, vaccines were rolled out; cases and hospitalizations began to fall; and things began to open back up.
For the summer of 2021, the Robins worked to come up with two four-week programs to encourage students to study abroad, but not enough students were willing to try for study abroad at that time. Though some limited programming was approved for Summer 2021, most was left on hold.
“So we thought, could we design a course with an embedded element?” Chotiner recalled. “Could we condense a 7-week, nine-credit summer program into a three-credit course with a 10-day abroad experience?”
Working closely with the Education Abroad office in Penn State Global, the Robins were able to quickly and efficiently design a program and get it approved. ISI Florence put together the necessary arrangements; the Robins advertised their Zoom-only class, which enrolled 19 students.
“Our students this semester are different from the ones we usually get,” Yaure said. “We’re seeing more diversity and students from different majors. Certain majors can’t afford to step away from clinicals for a full seven weeks, but in this class, with the abroad experience being only ten days, they were able to do it.”
The class, which is titled “Understanding the Italian Family: Historical and Cultural Contexts,” was conducted fully over Zoom, with the exception of the abroad component.
Returning to Florence
Returning to Florence was familiar to the Robins in many ways — they had, after all, visited at least once a year for the better part of a decade. However, traveling in November was a different feel than arriving during the summer — and the shorter timeframe changed things, too.
“It was jam-packed,” Yaure said, referring to the schedule. “But the atmosphere in Florence during this time prior to Christmas was spectacular.”
“It was a festive time of the year,” Chotiner added. “And it was great because we were able to incorporate that into the class and talk about the Italian culture around celebration, how different families celebrated, and see groups of people engaging in celebration.”
The program ran for 10 days and included trips all across Florence. Students got a tour of the city, including the central market, which was followed by a cooking class using ingredients from the market; they visited preschools and a vocational school outside of Florence; and spent time with an organization dedicated to providing services to special needs adults once they age out of the system. Trips to a museum and a historical tour of the city by one of the ISI faculty were also included.