Haley – Italy

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Hi! My name is Hailey Tobin (she/her) and I am so excited to travel to Italy this summer!

I am a rising junior Theatre Education major, and I am also a part of the Honors College. In addition to this, I work on campus as a Pirate Navigator and give tours to prospective ECU students. I am also the social media manager for the Theatre Education Association (also known as TEA) and was one of the founding members of this club. I am so excited to travel to Italy because my Nonna is from Italy! I can’t wait to see all the great sights, make new friends, and of course, eat all the delicious food!

This is also my first time traveling on a plane by myself so I will admit I am a little nervous about navigating everything. I also tend to overpack A LOT so trying to pack everything into one carry on and a backpack has been challenging over the past few days. My goals on this trip are to make new friends, step out of my comfort zone when it comes to learning the language, and get better at finding my way around. My friends like to call me “directionally challenged” because I am so bad at navigating things and remembering how to get places! I hope to improve those skills and most of all have fun!

As a future educator I know that being exposed to other cultures and many different types of people is a huge benefit so while I am nervous, I know this trip will change me for the better! I can’t wait to take off in just a few days and I am so excited for the journey ahead of me!