Courtney Moe sightseeing in Italy.
At a quaint bed-and-breakfast inn in Sorrento, Italy, University of Akron hospitality management senior Courtney Moe is busy working at the front desk, responding to TripAdvisor.com reviews, updating social media posts and helping guests schedule excursions.
“It’s common for guests to want to go on a tour of Herculaneum or the Amafli Coast, so I’ll set up a driver for the day and suggest specific sites for them to see or places to eat in each city,” says Moe, who will complete her semester-long internship at Palazzo Marziale next month.
Unique internship has longterm impact
Moe entrenches herself in the small inn, which she describes as the perfect nook for finding her future career in lodging management. “My internship at the Palazzo Marziale has put into perspective all of the things that I learned in class about the hospitality industry,” she says. “Also, learning how another culture works teaches you how important it is to adjust your own work ethic accordingly. This experience will impact the way I work in the hospitality industry for the rest of my life.”
While in Italy, Moe is enrolled at Sant’Anna Institute. She coordinated her study abroad experience through David Black, assistant director of education abroad in UA’s Office of International Programs.
Courtney Moe will complete her semester long internship at the Palazzo Marziale in December.
“We have a great relationship with Sant’Anna Institute. They have regular courses for our students to take, but specialize in personalizing faculty-led programs and internships,” Black says. “We got Courtney in contact with the staff in Sorrento and they worked out the details of her internship.”
“He made all of the necessary calls and e-mails to make this dream trip come true for me,” Moe says. “At a period in my life when I wasn’t 100 percent sure I was majoring in the right subject, this experience has helped me realize that I am. I wish that every college student was required to go abroad before they graduate because it teaches so many things you cannot learn in your own culture.”
Variety of study opportunities available
The University’s Office of International Programs accommodates students seeking study-abroad experiences on small to grand scales, depending on their interests. Some students just want to be pointed in the right direction, while others would like assistance throughout the process. Such help can range from advising and finding a program to locating scholarships and connecting with study-abroad alumni.
Opportunities take the shape of faculty-led programs, affiliated third-party companies and exchange programs and have sent UA students to Germany, South Korea, Japan, Peru, China, France, England, Italy, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Costa Rica, Toronto, India, Haiti and the Bahamas.
“Study abroad is an extension of a student’s education, especially when it comes to understanding and sensitivity,” Black says. “There is no substitute that can adequately have the effect on a person that experiencing another culture through study abroad can have. Traveling abroad is great, but when a person is studying abroad, they are thinking differently. They are thinking more academically and critically.”
For details on study-abroad opportunities available to UA students and faculty, contact Black at 330-972-8085 or dlb164@uakron.edu.
Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.