Over the course of my spring semester during my junior year, I attended Florence University of the Arts in Florence, Italy. My life outside of class was nothing less than captivating and magnificent, but I learned a lot about myself within the walls of the classroom as well. I had the opportunity to take an Italian Advertising course named Art, Food, Fashion, and Wine: Creative Advertising of Italian Destinations. The name speaks for itself; naturally, I enjoyed the subject matter. But more than that, it was this class that brought to my attention how much I would enjoy tapping into my creativity of not just words, but images as well. It was this course that helped me to discover a new confidence in my voice and a clearer vision of what I may want to pursue later on.

Each week, in groups, we had to make an advertisement based on a specific theme or type of advertising we had been learning about. We would brainstorm, design, and present, and at the end of class, we had to go around and individually give our vote for the strongest ad. These projects became more than just assignments and were all of a sudden my favorite weekly challenges that required me to think critically in regard to different audiences and cultures.

This class was the first time I had ever felt like something I was contributing to was something I could truly see myself doing and enjoying in my post-graduation plans. When I say this, I mean it because I enjoyed the work I was doing, but also because I felt passionate enough to kindly disagree with my partners when I felt differently. I’m usually more of a laid-back, happily-willing-to-step-in-where-I’m-needed type of person when it comes to group work—not because I’m lazy or don’t care, but because I enjoy listening to other people’s perspectives and prefer to avoid conflict. However, in this class, I felt something shift because I found ownership and passion in my ideas that made me want to challenge my groupmates’ ideas.

This shift didn’t stay in that classroom; it followed me into my academic and professional journey. After realizing how much I enjoyed the creative strategy behind advertising, I began approaching my other Mass Communications courses with a new sense of purpose. I paid closer attention to visual storytelling, audience segmentation, and message design, and I sought out projects that let me blend creativity with communication. This experience also helped me develop the confidence to lead more boldly in group settings, internships, and campus involvement. I started volunteering for creative roles, pitching stronger ideas, and taking initiative in ways I hadn’t before. Looking back, this class didn’t just introduce me to advertising; it helped me realize the kind of work environment I hope to be part of, one that values creativity, collaboration, and meaningful messaging.

The artifact I am submitting with this essay is one of the advertisements my group created. This advertisement was one of two that won recognition at the end of class, and it stands out to me as the most meaningful. The concept was my idea; we used an image of a naked female statue with the tagline “Don’t Leave Yourself Bare.” It won because it was creative, bold, humorous, and played on an example of an extreme consequence in advertising. The extreme consequence of this advertisement is that you might as well be naked if you’re not wearing Fly. This advertisement was created for a store named “Fly,” which is owned by Florence University of the Arts and is fully managed by students. Not only do the students create the advertisements, but they also work the front desk and make some of the clothes as well.

At the end of the day, the advertisement won, but it had its imperfections. A different group member had submitted the final version with an interesting choice for the tagline font. In my opinion, it distracted from the elegance of the concept, but with the reassurance of the class vote, my main takeaway was that my contributions had real value.

Reflecting on this experience within the classroom, I feel this is a key takeaway from some of my college experiences. I gained insight that I not only can shine creatively through more than just words, but also that I can be a leader in ways I didn’t know before. This artifact helps me to remember that I am a strong communicator and am skilled in crafting messages through words, images, and ideas.