Study Abroad semester spent at RIT Croatia’s Dubrovnik or Zagreb
campuses is usually an unforgettable experience for majority of RIT students from
Rochester who decide to take this opportunity and spend a semester at one of RIT’s
global campuses. However, Michaela Bleier, one of study abroad students who
spent the fall semester of 2017/2018 at the Dubrovnik campus, took experiential
learning to another level.
In honor of her unforgettable study abroad experience in
Dubrovnik, Michaela decided to organize a "Night in Dubrovnik” event at "Caledonia
Village Inn” in Rochester, NY, a family restaurant owned by Lisa and Jeff
Bleier, Michaela's parents.
The event took place on January 24, and it was envisioned as
a fusion of Croatian and Bosnian cuisine in honor of Michaela’s experience
whilst studying at RIT Croatia, where she had the opportunity to explore
Dubrovnik region, as well as other parts of Croatia and the immediate region. The
event was carefully thought through and promoted with posters, flyers and menus
designed to pay tribute to Dubrovnik.
This idea turned out to be a huge success! The restaurant
was fully booked days before the event, as many of RIT’s professors and students
who experienced RIT’s global campus in Dubrovnik wanted to have a throwback at
the days spent in the Pearl of the Adriatic.
Thank you Michaela for sharing your experience back home in
such an enthusiastic and imaginative way!
Michaela Bleier was a
part of a group of 5 study abroad students from the Rochester campus, who spent
their fall semester of the academic year 2017/2018 at RIT Croatia’s Dubrovnik
campus. Besides regular administrative and logistical support during their stay,
the group also had the support of Belma Sokolović, an RIT Croatia student who
served as their peer mentor and assisted them to integrate within RIT Croatia
community and to the new culture of living, which was a life altering
experience in many aspects.