Academics > Parent Quotes Parent Quotes
From the informational dinner through the day that the students arrived home from Italy, the Walsh University staff was excellent. The orientation for students and parents certainly helped me to better understand the global learning experience.
The Rome Experience was an extraordinary opportunity for [our daughter] to grow spiritually, emotionally, and academically. She developed into a confident young woman in eight short weeks. This was a chance for her to learn that she is much more resilient than she believed and a chance for me to learn that I am capable of “letting go”. Dr.Trapani and Danilo helped [our daughter] to gain a better understanding of the traditions, customs, and culture of Rome.
Thank you for offering this program to your students.
[Our son] knew immediately he wanted to experience this trip, and it was truly a "growing" experience for him in many different aspects. He certainly learned more by seeing and living Italy than he ever could have acquired from a book. He was so excited whenever we got to talk to him about the cities he had visited, the art or architecture he had seen, or the history he was immersed in. It also gave him new perspectives on how people in other cultures in this world live and experience life.
[His] trip definitely brought about a personal change in him as well. I could see he had gained a quiet self-confidence I had not seen before, and he was more assertive and self-reliant. And although he enjoyed traveling, it also gave him a new appreciation for the United States and home. I think too the trip confirmed for him that history and museum work is definitely what he wants to do in the future.
The Rome Experience was a time of learning and tremendous personal growth for [our son]. If we have one regret about the trip, it would be that we didn't get to go with him!
[Our daughter] had a wonderful experience in Rome!! It was life changing !!
My daughter attended the Fall semester. What an experience!. The President, Dr. P., Danilo, yourself and all the staff are to be congratulated. From a parent's standpoint, I cannot make any suggestions for improvement. It appeared that the execution of the program was flawless and the students had a very meaningful educational experience. Experiences like that cannot be learned from a textbook .
The dedication of Dr. Palmer and Danillo should also be noted. [Our daughter] was very impressed by both and they are wonderful professors and role models.
I would highly recommend this program to any student with the desire to study abroad.
I commend Walsh University for having the foresight to establish such a quality program. Thank you for providing [our daughter] the opportunity to participate.
No one in our immediate family had ever traveled abroad, so this was a learning experience for all of us - passport, currency exchange, time zones, customs! It was [our son's] responsibility to investigate all these areas and arrange his finances and time schedules. However, we discussed every step as a family, so that we could all understand the intricacies of this endeavor.
We thoroughly enjoyed [our son's] daily e-mails and/or phone calls - his stories and reactions to the sights and sounds of Italy were absolutely delightful. Thanks to modern technology, we could share his experiences almost immediately. It was exciting to see the photos of [him] on the dais in the amphitheater of Pompeii, close-up photos of Pope Benedict, and the gondolas of Venice, filled with Walsh students. It is easy to find pictures of the Coliseum in books or on the internet, but, for us, they do not compare to [his] photos which have such terrific personal stories and memories attached. It was fun to see the colors of the gelatos, the exquisite glassware in store windows, the bumpy bike ride on the Appian Way, and even the neighborhood cat. Through e-mails, we were able to share all of these things with friends and relatives, the youth group at our church, and the students of the elementary school where I work as a library aide. We all lived the journey vicariously through [our son].
Thanks to the International Programs staff at Walsh, we were never worried about [his] welfare in Europe. We were given the opportunity to meet everyone involved and all of our questions were answered. Because of the small group, Dr. Walsh and Denilo were able to know the students as individuals and worked with them accordingly. Because of the trust they put in [our son], he came home from Italy a much more responsible and mature young man. Probably the biggest moment was the third day when [he] missed the train from Rome to Castel Gandolfo, and he managed to find his way back, alone. After that, his confidence level went through the roof.
We cannot say enough about the positive results of the Rome Experience. Thank you for allowing [our son] to participate, although he was only a sophomore. We all enjoyed the journey!
This was a life changing experience that she will never forget. [Our daughter] can't wait to go back again. She learned more about herself in two months than in a lifetime. Being on her on in a foreign country gave her a positive way to look at new situations and herself.
I can’t thank you, and Walsh University enough for the opportunities my son was able to take advantage of during the Rome Experience 2008. With the three planned class trips on the weekends to Florence, Venice and Pompeii, it was a great chance to not only see history first hand, but also experience the many different cultures and landscapes Europe has to offer. A special thanks to Danilo and the rest of the Walsh Staff in Rome. Because of their professionalism and dedication throughout the trip, there was not one time [he] did not feel safe. He and his fellow classmates even took advantage of the free weekends to fly Ryanair to visit London and tour Auschwitz in Poland.
The great thing about the technology today is that all of our friends and family followed him along by means of his blog on the Internet with pictures from the Coliseum, Easter Mass at the Vatican, etc, and the daily journal he kept. He was literally a mouse click away when using his web cam. Not only did his grade point average go up this semester, but I spoke with him so much more frequently than when he was on the N. Canton Campus. (Although I think that probably won’t continue).
He loved being a world traveler not just a tourist so much, that he and three classmates sent their bags home with the returning students and visited family in Germany and backpacked an extra week in Paris. When the three of them left to come home he made the decision to visit the beaches of Normandy, and spend three days in the Swiss Alps by himself just to take in the whole experience.
Trying to prepare our children for a career in a global market for jobs that may not even exist yet is a challenge for any parent. You’ve not only made it easier for him to understand that importance, but have allowed him to put it into practice. I told my son “the next time you’re in class, look around and imagine yourself competing on the job market with your classmates.” Your future employer will want someone who can cope with new experiences and take risks, and who is sensitive to cultural differences.
I would encourage anyone who is considering studying abroad, to take advantage of this wonderful learning experience.
Danilo is an awesome instructor/guide/mentor for these young adults. I can’t say enough about how grateful we are to him for enriching our son’s life! Dr. Trapani also blessed [our son] with many “words of wisdom” and tales of humor that he will cherish forever. Thank you, thank you for the great job of organizing such a once-in-a-lifetime experience for [our son] and all the students at Walsh. What a GREAT opportunity!!!
