Victoria Konyk

Program:

• PGS: Palermo: Empires, Migrations, and Mafia

Ask me about...

• Exploring a field that has nothing to do with my major and conducting intra-cultural "research" abroad.

• Sharing identities with the local community & understanding how you are perceived while studying abroad.

My Experience Abroad:

I am pursuing a minor in Global Health which requires an abroad experience but my interest in PGS started long before I declared my minor. As a first-generation American, I understand the importance of exploring and attempting to understand different cultures, languages, and histories. Spending time abroad immerses individuals in something unfamiliar. My love for language, history, and culture is oftentimes overlooked in Nursing therefore this experience fulfilled not only an academic necessity but a personal one as well. 

Other Highlights:

• Meeting, spending time, and learning more about the Ukrainian community in Palermo. As a Ukrainian- American, it was very interesting to see other Ukrainians living abroad while identifying many similarities and some differences in our lifestyles.

• Visiting Corleone, as this day truly felt like a vacation. We sat in the sun, met horses, sheep, and a happy dog. After exploring the museum and feasting, we did not do much but relax yet it is a memory I will never forget.

• The Anti-mafia tour in Palermo. Throughout this tour, my classmates and I went through a rollercoaster of emotions, including sadness, anger, and even happiness. I shed more than a few tears because of the inspiring stories told about strong anti-mafia heroes and the Palermitains as a whole.