It was at the moment when she stepped off of the gondola and into the airport entrance that East senior Elise Brown realized that she was going to miss the restaurant lined streets of Venice, Florence, Rome and Pompeii.
More than that though, she was going to miss the fast friendships she had formed over the 13 days she spent in the summer abroad program, “Western Civilization: Visions from Italy,” through Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts school in Michigan.
“I haven’t stopped talking to [my friends from the program] since I got back; I love them so much,” said Brown. “When we first got there we got random dormmates, and it was just very lucky that we all really liked each other.”
Brown started her trip at Hillsdale College by spending three days on campus with other rising high school seniors and learning about the art and culture she would later experience first-hand in Italy.
When the group arrived in Italy, they began going to different iconic historical and artistic sites and were tasked to find an assigned figure from one of three different art periods at each site that they visited.
“We had three different things called quests: one of them was Greco-Roman, one of them was Old-Testament, and one of them was New-Testament,” explained Brown. “I had to find Aphrodite or Venus, Moses, and Mary Magdalene.”
As they went to places like St. Peter’s Balisca and the Sistine Chapel, the students in the program took notes on, sketched, and took photos of their individually assigned figures.
Rapheli Donaldson, a high school senior from Florida who also went on the trip to Italy, became friends with Brown easily.
“I think Elise and I quickly noticed that our personalities clicked,” said Donaldson. “By the time we hit Venice, we got to pick roommates, so I was in the room with Elise, and we would, quite literally, laugh ourselves to sleep every night.”
This was not the only time that the two were overcome with laughter according to Donaldson.
“It was dinner time in Rome; all 44 teenagers were in the restaurant, and our table of six girls was dying laughing,” said Donaldson. “We were holding napkins up against our cheeks because we kept crying [laughing].”
This trip gave Donaldson high hopes for making new friends in college.
“It is nice to know that if I was able to [click with new people easily] on this trip, I’m sure I can experience that again,” said Donaldson.
Brown shares this view and is optimistic about her future. “I’m actually looking forward to random roommates,” said Brown. “I like meeting new people and I love the ‘getting to know you’ phase of friendship.”
Brown’s mother, Vanessa Brown, admirers her daughter’s bravery and excitement for the trip.
“She never seemed nervous when I asked her, and I don’t think she was,” Vanessa told Spark. “I would have been scared to death at 17 [to do something like this].”
Elise’s confidence and her being surrounded by nothing but new friends and strangers helped her step outside of her comfort-zone.
“When you’re with a bunch of other kids your age it’s easy because everyone is kind of in the same boat; we’re all on our own at the same time,” said Elise. “It wasn’t like I was doing something crazy by myself; everyone around me was doing the exact same thing as me.”
Elise said that she will carry this attitude through college to help her cope with moving away from home.
“I feel like it’s just a good thing to remember that you have to try new things in life, otherwise you’re not really going to get anywhere if you just stay where you’re comfortable.”
As the president of East’s National Honor Society (NHS) and one of the seniors on East’s Cross Country and Track teams, Brown intends to use her social experiences abroad to lead and inspire her peers at home.
“For the NHS, I want to really get to know people around me, and actually connect with them because then I will be able to lead them better,” said Elise.
Vanessa has seen Elise grow in this aspect and looks forward to seeing her daughter thrive during her senior year.
“I feel like, especially in her junior year and now as she goes into her senior year, I can see how she takes initiative to make friends,” said Vanessa. “Like in cross country, she makes an effort to make sure that the underclassmen know that they are welcome, and tries to make them feel welcome.”
While she will not be able to step off of a gondola and onto the steps of her future college, Elise feels equipped with the social and educational tools she will need to succeed in the future.
“If I go to a college where I have a bunch of friends and I know a bunch of people already, then I’m not going to go out of my way to make new friends,” said Elise. “If I force myself to be uncomfortable, and go to a college that is further away, then I’ll be able to find new things, new people, and new experiences easier.”
Vanessa has all the confidence that her daughter will find exactly what brings her joy.
“She tries to be kind and she tries to do the right thing and those are the kinds of people that she chooses to surround herself with,” said Vanessa. “I know that deep down, she is just a really good human being.”
