How a semester abroad turned into an internship and career support.
My first class at Florence University of the Arts had the city for a classroom, rain or shine. It was called Florentine Art Walks, and our professor guided us through historic streets, museums, churches, and piazzas and talked for three hours straight. I am fairly certain she never paused for a breath. She did not need notes for any of it. She loved that city, and it did not take long for me to love it too.
I did not know it then, but that class and the SAI programs around it would lead me to my job today on the Academic Relations team. Before my term even ended, while I was still in Florence and still in the middle of it, I already knew I wanted to help other students experience study abroad.
That care showed up everywhere that semester. SAI’s support started before I ever left the US, with pre-departure prep and orientation. Once I got to Florence, the on-site staff were there for everything, from first-week jitters to last-minute travel questions. That is what led me to the international education field, and what made me reach out about joining SAI once I got home.
Art Walks Class
Back on Campus and Getting Involved
At the University of South Carolina I became an SAI Peer Advisor at the Education Abroad Office, walking students through pre-departure steps. At the same time I was an SAI Ambassador, doing webinars, student campus outreach, and alumni panels.
Some students had never heard of studying abroad. Others were not sure they could afford it, or graduate on time, or go alone. Getting to present to classrooms and sit one-on-one with them was the most rewarding work I had done, and it made me want to see the other side of it too.
Goodbye Aperitivo
What I Learned as an Intern
Then I joined SAI’s Academic Relations team as an intern, and learned how much more there was to it. Admissions, enrollment, housing, academic coordination, financial aid, university partnerships, and all the web and technical work behind it. My own weekly assignments were on the marketing and communications side: research, social media, strategic planning, and brand development. But you cannot work on one piece of it without seeing how many people it takes to get students abroad.
I built presentation materials for the Academic Relations team, created content for partner university portals, and made social graphics and video for the marketing team.
I also learned that partner universities, campus offices, and internal teams all have different priorities, and keeping everyone moving in the same direction takes constant communication
and teamwork. The details matter so much too. An out-of-date page is not a small error to a student comparing programs.
Trip to Prague
SAI on My Resume
SAI has a resume guide for ambassadors, and I used it constantly. Here are a few examples from the intern version, similar to how mine reads now:
- Supply content for a partner university portal and maintain accurate program information for prospective students
- Create social graphics and video content to promote study abroad opportunities ● Utilize presentation software to build presentation materials and templates for the Academic Relations team
- Apply time-management skills to multitask on weekly assignments across marketing, research, strategic planning, and brand development
All of those bullets come back to the connection of making something complicated feel manageable for a student deciding whether this is possible.
It also strengthened my academic work. I pursued Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Global Learning at UofSC, where I got to present and reflect on what I learned from my time abroad. SAI offers its own version of this kind of work while you are abroad: the Global Leadership Certificate. If it fits your program, it is definitely worth a look. I did not take it and I wish I had.
If Any of This Sounds Familiar
SAI is still supporting me almost two years later. At our very first Ambassador welcome meeting, staff walked us through how to break into international education and how to put the role on a resume. The personal connection here is real, and it does not end when your program does. People do say studying abroad is a life-changing experience, and I can attest to that.
If you came home and quietly cannot stop thinking about it, that feeling is worth following. Reach out to your campus’ education abroad office and academic advisors. Look at SAI’s Ambassador Program, and at the graduate options, internships, and career support available before or after you finish your degree.
My career path changed and my passion started my junior year of college. You never know until you try!
SAI VIVA – Market Tour
Written by: Izzy Intrieri, SAI Florence Alumna and SAI Academic Relations Assistant, University of South Carolina
