Arianna already knew that three weeks abroad could make a difference. Before Harvard University, she had attended a Summer School at Fordham University in New York. The experience stayed with her: studying in another country, meeting new people and discovering what can happen when you step outside your usual university routine. 

So, when another opportunity came along, she chose the United States again. This time, she was heading to Harvard University. 

It was the university she had imagined from a distance. Then suddenly she was there, walking into its libraries, sitting in its classrooms and becoming part of campus life. 

And something unexpected happened: being there made her want to study more. 

Finding inspiration in the libraries 

Harvard's libraries became some of Arianna's favourite places. She and Angelica, a fellow Università Cattolica student attending the Summer School, explored them together, encountering historic objects and collections as they went. 

But it was not only what the libraries contained that stayed with Arianna. It was what happened inside them. 

She saw people reading, researching and working around her and found the atmosphere academically energising. Learning seemed to extend beyond lessons and into the spaces around her. 

That feeling of being surrounded by people absorbed in their work renewed something in Arianna: the desire to study, ask questions and make the most of being there.

Learning to raise her hand 

Arianna chose to study Project Management and Change Management, although she had originally imagined taking something closer to finance. The course turned out to be quite different, looking not only at how projects are organised but at how people react to change, work with others, and questioning their assumptions. 

The classroom was different too as classes relied heavily on discussion, which was unfamiliar territory for her. Arianna often felt nervous about speaking in class. Even when raising her hand, she wondered whether her answer was good enough or whether she was saying the right thing. 

At Harvard, she gradually became more comfortable speaking before she had everything perfectly worked out. She started preparing for lessons by thinking not only about the material, but also about what she might contribute to the discussion. 

The mix of students in the room helped. People approached the same questions from different backgrounds and experiences, and listening to those conversations made it easier for Arianna to offer her own view. By the end of the course, she had started to see that her own ideas had a place in the conversation too. 

Putting it into practice 

One of the strongest tests came with her final project. Arianna worked with a group of students from China, bringing together different languages, communication styles and approaches to teamwork. It required them to listen to one another, adapt, and find a way to work together.  

When their professor complimented the final presentation, the achievement meant more to Arianna than completing an assignment. She had contributed, collaborated, and found her voice within an international team, and that confidence extended beyond the classroom. 

There were study sessions with friends, networking events and opportunities to introduce herself to new people. Each one encouraged her to participate rather than wait on the sidelines. 

Three weeks, a different mindset   

Arianna returned from Harvard with memories, friendships and a different relationship with learning, having realised that being interested was not enough: she wanted to participate, ask questions and contribute, and she had become more confident about doing so. 

You do not necessarily have to wait until you feel completely ready before raising your hand, introducing yourself or trying something unfamiliar. Sometimes confidence comes because you decided to do it anyway. 

Today, when Arianna feels uncertain about taking that first step, she can think back to the student she was at Harvard: studying in the library, joining the discussion and working with people she had only just met. 

The Summer School lasted three weeks. What changed was the way she approached what came next.