Share Your Story: Ellerie Arnold

Design student Ellerie Arnold shares how an experiential learning opportunity has enhanced her time at BYU

I love to travel. There is magic in experiencing new foods, new cultures and understanding just what makes a place and a people so special. But there’s all sorts of unfamiliarity and awkwardness that comes with being in a new position, and traveling can mean a new town, city, state or country. You leave the familiar behind and venture into new territory, which takes a lot of mental energy, something that’s hard to replenish while you’re traveling as an introvert — which is exactly what I am. 

For my illustration BFA project, I did research in the most extroverted country I could imagine: Italy. I cultivated experiences to illustrate for “The Introvert’s Guide to Traveling Italy.” This project was all about finding a curation of experiences to get to the heart of a people and culture, and without a research trip to Italy, it couldn’t have happened.