This entire semester, my “one year ago today” Snapchat flashbacks have been incredibly bittersweet. While I currently find myself sitting in my living room on a dreary, gray Sunday evening in Fairfield, Conn., one year ago I was eating gelato in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, Italy.
Choosing to study abroad during the spring semester of my junior year was easily the best decision I have ever made. Spending three and a half months immersing myself in Italian culture while exploring Europe is an experience that I will never take for granted. With each photo flashback comes a memory of new friends I had made, authentic food I got to try or a European town I had never been to before. As much as I wish I could hop inside each photo and relive these moments, I am deeply grateful for all that my study abroad experience has given me.
This week marked an exciting day for students who are eager to study abroad in the coming semesters. On April 1, Global Fairfield released their study abroad decisions for the spring 2026 semester, and students are already brimming with excitement over being admitted into various abroad programs. Because Global Fairfield offers over 50 different abroad programs in over 25 cities, it is no surprise that studying abroad is a highly popular choice for Fairfield students. Whether it is for one week or a full year, studying abroad is an experience that many Fairfield students cherish forever.
Junior Meg Finney is back on Fairfield campus this semester after spending the fall studying abroad in Madrid. As the only Fairfield student in this program, Finney took advantage of her opportunity to connect and make friends with people from all over the world.
“I ended up living with thirteen girls—international and from the U.S. —which was really cool because I had never lived with anyone from another country. Sometimes for dinner they would make us food from their countries which was such a cool cultural experience,” she shared.
Finney credited this experience of being the only Fairfield student in her program to her overall confidence and growth during her semester abroad. “I have always been an independent person, but I had to actively put myself into situations with people to try and make friends and build trusting relationships. Not just class friends or going out friends, but real friends.”
Along with creating international friendships, Finney also loved having the opportunity to travel to different countries while abroad. She noted Marrakesh, Morocco as her favorite trip, and happily reminisced on riding camels and driving ATVs through the Sahara Desert. “It was so surreal,” she commented, “I had never been in a terrain like that before.”
Along with Finney, Will Gatward ‘25 is another proud Global Fairfield alumni. Studying abroad in Florence during the spring of his junior year, Gatward noted the city’s walkability and friendly atmosphere as his favorite aspects of Florence.
“There were just always nice people,” he said. “Just people going along with their day with a smile on their face, enjoying life. It really slows you down in the best way possible, emotionally and mentally.”
When noting one of his favorite memories from abroad, Gatward fondly recalled an interaction he had with one of his professors that left a lasting impact on him.
“I had taken this professor for the three-week accelerated course at the beginning of the semester,” he shared. “Then, around the last week of school, I was walking to class when I heard her call my name and we ended up chatting for a couple minutes. It was just so nice that she had actually remembered me. I guess those little moments really just make the experience a bit more beautiful.”
For students who are interested in studying abroad in the future, Gatward joked, “I feel like Nike when I say this, but just do it. You will regret it if you don’t.”
Finney also offered up some words of advice, saying, “don’t follow the crowd and just do your own thing, do what feels right. I’m really happy that I trusted my gut instinct and did what felt right for me. Just go study abroad, for sure.”
