Michaela Niva's Experience in Italy

young woman standing infront of a european skyline — I was living in Rome during the height of the refugee crisis in 2016; the struggles were visible. I had always been interested in learning about the refugee crisis and addressing the problems, but seeing them with my own eyes changed my purpose.

It had always been a dream of mine to live abroad. So, during a gap year between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I decided to make it happen. I saved up my money, found a job in Rome as an Au Pair and moved. Although I was working while abroad, I still made a point to explore and learn as much as I could about Rome and the history of the ancient city. While I did learn a lot about the Roman Empire and the ancient world, my eyes were also opened to the many social issues that were present at the time. I was living in Rome during the height of the refugee crisis in 2016; the struggles were visible. I had always been interested in learning about the refugee crisis and addressing the problems, but seeing them with my own eyes changed my purpose. Traveling and experiencing real-world issues like this firsthand induced me to act. I left Rome 6 months earlier than planned to finish up my college degree in something that could hopefully help address the issues I witnessed. When I came to the University of Montana and learned there was an IDS minor, I was overjoyed because that perfectly lined up with my goals and interests. I have always known that I wanted to help people when I grew up. I know that pursuing my degree in IDS will afford me that opportunity. Traveling of any kind, whether it’s for tourism or activism, can change your worldview and inspire you to make the world a better place!