My name is Madelynn Frendo, I am an incoming junior studying genomics and molecular genetics at Michigan State University, and I am originally from Clarkston, Michigan. My education abroad program took place in Rome, Italy where I studied human biology with a focus on eucaryotic cells.

My time abroad was one of the most impactful periods of my undergraduate education and personal life. This experience pushed me to uncover passions of mine as a learner and broadened my perspective of the world. In the classroom, I was able to closely interact with my professors and experience a different style of teaching. The program focused on collaboration with the goal to dig deeper into the class material and to push your thinking. With this, I was able to create a deeper foundational understanding and build my knowledge from there. This enabled me to connect content beyond the courses in this program to past courses, which will prove to help in the remainder of my education and in my career.

On a personal level, I discovered the importance of immersing myself in a different culture to enhance my experience and overall understanding of the world. I found the best way to do this was not only having authentic food but also by adopting mannerisms and asking questions to locals when I had the chance. As a result, these interactions with the citizens opened my eyes to how vastly unalike different parts of the world.

Focusing on Rome specifically, every part of the vast city had its own unique style and feeling of belonging. Some parts were crowded with people and cars and constant noise while others were calm with independent restaurants and shops that created a sense of home and security. Having both in one city was nothing short of incredible, being able to see contrasting neighborhoods live in harmony and create a diverse environment. In addition, the history embedded on every street was truly fascinating. The city was not built around human advancement but rather society had to work around the pre-existing framework and maintain history. That was one of the most impactful aspects to me, that every building and store had such a deep sense of history and community, it pushes me to look at my own life and surround myself with things that genuinely make me empowered and can bring a sense of belonging to myself and those around me.

Name: Madelynn Frendo
Status: Junior
Major: Genomics and molecular genetics
Hometown: Clarkston, Michigan
Program: Human Biology Summer in Rome