Meet Joanne Zhang

Program and Location:

Spring, Lorenzo de Medici; Florence, Italy

Why did you choose to study abroad?

I chose to study abroad because I really wanted to learn more things outside of the classroom in a different environment, outside of NC State. I have also lived in Raleigh for my whole life and then proceeded to attend NC State, I really wanted to leave Raleigh and try something new.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I really enjoy trying new things and I was always open to going to new places, trying new foods, and doing new and fun activities that I normally wouldn’t do here!

What was one of your favorite parts of your program?

I really liked how it was catered towards U.S. Study abroad students, all the advisors were really helpful and accommodated to our needs. When you are abroad, things just seem a little more difficult because you are in a foreign setting so they were really helpful.

What advice do you have to future study abroad students?

Definitely do as much as you can while abroad because you don’t really know when the next time you will be back.

How were your classes abroad different than if you would have taken them at NC State? Did you take any field trips or do anything outside of the traditional classroom?

My classes were different than the ones I normally would have taken here at NC State. Since I am majoring in Fashion and Textile Management, I was really able to see the fashion industry come to life in the city of Florence, Italy and all across Europe in general. We were able to tour a flagship store that we had talked about in class for a field trip and it was really interesting to see what we had previously learned in class in real life.

Would you do it again?

Yes, absolutely!! It was so much fun and you are able to do so many cool things all the time.