Annie Coyne '27 flew to Madrid for a family wedding when she was 15. It was her first visit to Spain, and she fondly remembers soaking in the experience while feverishly snapping away on her phone. By the end of the trip, Coyne's camera roll was completely full... with almost nothing but pictures of buildings.
"And then I did the same thing in Italy," Coyne said. "I've got a group chat with my family, and I'd send them pictures everyday. At one point, my dad texted back and said, "Can you please stop sending us so many pictures of scaffolding?"
It's no surprise an applied physics major with a focus on engineering gravitates to the architecture.
Originally, Coyne intended to spend the spring semester abroad in London, but when that plan fell through, she pivoted to a May-mester in Siena, Italy, and joined seven fellow Saints in the travel party. Coyne took a course on the history of Italian fashion, which satisfied an arts requirement, and she found the entire four-week experience to be...
"Amazing! Our teacher, Antonella, took us on field trips almost every day. I learned about different empires and how clothing, armor, and design reflected the cultures and values of the time. I also had the chance to visit museums and historic sites, including Santa Maria della Scala, originally one of Europe's oldest hospitals, and we explored the fascinating history behind Siena's architecture and culture."
Coyne is in the 4+1 applied physics program, which means she'll start taking classes toward her master's in the fall and will need just one year post-Siena to earn her advanced degree in civil engineering. The family wedding in Spain planted the seed, and four-weeks in Siena confirmed it. Coyne's passion is in the buildings.
"I was just so grateful to be there and to see it all and experience the medieval architecture. Each day was a gift. I just had this huge attitude of gratitude. I don't know how everything keeps working out, but it does."
In hindsight, Coyne believes four weeks abroad was a better fit for her. She's close with her family, including her grandparents, and while in Italy, never had the chance to get homesick. Plus, in an unexpected way, she felt her mom's presence in Siena.
"Jasmine is my mom's favorite flower. Mine too. There's this small jasmine bush in our neighborhood that blooms for one week, and then it's gone. In Siena, there was jasmine everywhere. I found a shop near the piazza that sold perfumes and moisturizers that all had floral scents. I got my mom a perfume and soap that smells like jasmine. When I was in Siena, the smell reminded me of her. And now that I'm home, my mom's perfume reminds me of Italy."
Coyne's Italian mother - her host mom - taught Coyne a little bit of Italian most nights, and the Italian woman a kick out of American phrases. She particularly liked "going with the flow" which she translated to "io seguo la corrente." That became the theme of the month. A May-mester in Siena was never part of Coyne's plan, but so often it works out if you let go and just io seguo la corrente.