Hi! My name is Claire Scafidi and I’m a third-year International Affairs, Spanish, and Latin American and Caribbean Studies triple major. In the Spring of 2025, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Oxford, England and Cortona, Italy. From January to March, I immersed myself in the Oxford experience, attending formal dinners, studying in the Bodleian library, and reading hundreds of pages every week. One of the trip’s highlights is the access UGA students have at Keble College. To have unrestricted access to an Oxford College and the multitude of libraries was pretty incredible.
A unique academic experience, Oxford operates under the tutorial system, where the student meets with the professor once a week to discuss and defend their essays and arguments over the readings. I took two tutorials, War & Human Security and Human Rights both with Dr. Stephen Dimelow alongside three other students. I learned so much not only about human security and human rights, but hard academic skills like reading and writing quickly.
I highly recommend taking the bus between London and Oxford, and see as many West End shows. I saw my first ballet, Giselle by the English National Ballet, and a standout performance of Much Ado About Nothing with Tom Hiddleston. While in London, I cannot make the recommendation enough of visiting as many parks as possible. St. James Park, next to Buckingham Palace, is probably my favorite with its ducks, swans, and bridge.
After the end of the Oxford program, I participated in the Oxford-Cortona partnership, and continued my studies in Cortona, Italy for three weeks. While Oxford was big and bustling, Cortona was picturesque and quiet. With the partnership, we took field trips as a group to Rome, the Vatican, Siena, Orvieto, Assisi, and Florence. The ability to see several cities in Italy in such a short time was truly special. The highlight to Cortona was definitely the walk to La Celle, a monastery in the mountainside with a beautiful waterfall. It is indescribably peaceful.
I would highly recommend this Study Abroad program to a SPIA student, because you have so many course options and can take courses across disciplines. The resources this program gives students access to is pretty amazing and living in Oxford for three months feels like a dream. This trip was an experience I’ll never forget.
Claire Freda Scafidi
B.A. International Affairs, B.A. Latin American & Caribbean Studies, B.A. Spanish
Studio Art Minor
Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Fellow, Benson-Bertsch Center for International Trade & Security
University of Georgia | 2027
