Chambers Discovers Adventure, Applied Learning During Study Abroad Excursion at Rome Center

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Eddie Chambers

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A Fayetteville native, senior Eddie Chambers is no stranger to adventure. But he was ready to go a step further to explore the world. With his love of travel, studying abroad presented the opportunity he'd been looking for to broaden his horizons.

Chambers learned about the Rome Center from a friend who studied abroad in 2021. Learning about the beautiful campus and numerous academic opportunities available to him, Chambers decided to explore opportunities to study at the Rome Center for a full semester.

"I chose the Rome Center semester program because I'd heard so many great things about it," he said. "I decided that a semester would be just enough time abroad to really get a feel for what living in Europe, and Rome more specifically, actually felt like."

Chambers, a supply chain management major in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, took courses toward a minor in global studies while abroad his junior year. He was able to take classes such as Intro to Global Studies, Global Changemakers, Women in Art & Architecture and Intro to Marketing. The smaller class sizes encouraged active listening and participation, and his fellow students' energy and excitement was infectious.

He also marveled at the architecture of the classrooms.  

"The space we were studying in made us feel like academics," he said. "They were probably the coolest classrooms I've ever had the pleasure to learn in."

Chambers also found the Rome Center's courses driven by applied learning opportunities, including a trip to a juvenile detention center in Naples to study how Italy rehabilitates juveniles.

"We also went to many co-ops and public-owned businesses established on seized Camorra land," he said, referring to an Italian Mafia-like criminal organization. "It was interesting to see how the Italian government worked to take back communities that had previously been extorted by criminal associations."

Chambers embraced the study abroad opportunity with open arms, traveling to a different city or country for 15 of the 17 weeks that he was in Rome. Locales included Venice, Florence and Sicily, as well as countries other than Italy, such as Croatia, Germany and Spain.

His favorite memories while abroad include a university-provided ski trip to the beautiful Dolomites in the Italian alps over spring break. For the first four days of his spring break, Chambers and fellow students took a train into the mountains and skied and snowboarded. He found the ski town they visited to be a delight because it was so close to Switzerland, resulting in an incredible mix of Swiss, Austrian and Italian culture.

"On our last night in the Dolomites, my roommate and I realized the semester was exactly half over," he said. "We sat on the balcony as it began to snow, chatting about how unforgettable this experience was and how fast it was flying by."

Chambers recently accepted an offer to work at Uber Freight, which he chose due to his interest in third-party logistics and the potential for unique opportunities for someone newly graduated from the U of A.

"My study abroad experience helped me realize that at some point in my career, I would love to work internationally. As supply chains continue to globalize, I am certain a chance to do that will arise, and my experience will assist me."

"If you are thinking about studying abroad and are on the fence, I absolutely recommend it," he added. "There is something so fulfilling about trying something new or traveling somewhere new. You have so many opportunities to learn about yourself as well. Studying abroad may seem like a daunting concept, and it is in some ways, but I wouldn't trade the memories, knowledge and lifelong friends I gained for anything."

About The Rome Center: Since its inception in 1992, the Rome Center has served as a premiere locale for transformative study abroad experiences for University of Arkansas students. Originally founded exclusively for architecture students, the center was expanded for students from across the university in 2016. Students can study abroad at the Rome Center during the fall, spring and summer semesters, with courses offered across the university's academic disciplines. For more information on studying abroad at the Rome Center, visit their website.