Meet Delaney Johnson, a UF graduate whose path from required language courses to published poet and international educator showcases the transformative power of experiential learning. Through the International Scholars Program, Italian language immersion, and hands-on research experiences, Delaney discovered passions she didn’t know existed and built a career that spans continents. Her journey reflects how embracing discomfort, finding mentorship in unexpected places, and saying “yes” to experiential opportunities can reshape not just a resume, but an entire worldview. From office hours that became breakthroughs to poetry courses that led to publication, Delaney’s story illustrates what happens when global and sociocultural experiences (one of UF seven categories of experiential learning) move from checkboxes to catalysts for change. Now heading to teach English in Northern Italy and pursue graduate studies at The University of Edinburgh, Delaney’s UF experience demonstrates how experiential learning creates pathways you never imagined walking.
Discover her full journey below.
Delaney’s Story: In Her Own Words
As I reflect on my invaluable global experiences at the University of Florida, I realize that being an International Scholar has profoundly impacted my perspective and increased my awareness and empathy for the multicultural world in which we live. Although I might be finished with the ISP program, I will always be dedicated to cultivating a global perspective and fostering meaningful relationships all over the world. I credit my international experience for my position as a teaching assistant in the English for Everybody program, starting March 2026. In this position I will teach English to students in Northern Italy for three months. I also attribute my recent acceptance to The University of Edinburgh to my wonderful international experience at UF. I will be pursuing a Masters in Psychology of Language there in Fall 2026.
I am extremely grateful for my language learning experience at the University of Florida. In particular, the Italian department was instrumental in my academic success. At every stage of my language learning I felt supported and encouraged. There were times in which I struggled but I always felt that my professors wanted me to succeed. Some of my fondest memories are attending their office hours for extra help. Although it sometimes pushed me out of my comfort zone, I am grateful that they pushed me to only speak Italian. When I was nervous to present in Italian, my peers were extremely kind and made me feel comfortable. The best part of my language learning experience was that they fostered an atmosphere were it was ok to make mistakes. This was crucial for my progress and helped me on a personal level to stop being a perfectionist. My language learning experience was even better during my study abroad because I still had the support of my familiar professors but I also had an immersive environment. Having great relationships with my professors helped immensely as I was not as nervous to make mistakes or ask questions. I looked to them for advice and guidance while over there and am glad I did so. My experience learning a second language was very positive and has increased my interest in learning other languages. Without the language requirement in my college, I would not have discovered my love for language. It was after taking my intermediate courses that I decided to study linguistics and learn more about how we process language. I owe a lot of my wonderful university experience to the Italian department at UF. They fostered a great passion in me for literature and cultural studies. I will take the lessons I have learned here and use them for the rest of my life.
My international courses provided me new perspectives and broadened my horizons. One of my favorite courses was Modern Italian Poetry. In this course, I got to study poetry in my second language for the first time. This changed my life. Today I can proudly say that one of my poems was published in Italy this past August. That would’ve been unbelievable to me two years ago when I was taking the course. This course introduced me to well-known Italian poets and pushed me to read more in my second language. I also always enjoy the more creative projects in my international courses. For this course we had to write a poem in Italian inspired by our readings from the semester. I wrote three, each from different perspectives, and created a video with images to represent the images in the poem. I was grateful that two of my other Italian professors lent their voices for the recording. My professors in my international courses always encourage my creative ideas and I feel that this positively shaped my academic career. Today I happily read Italian poetry and create my own. I enjoy translation and my translations of an Italian poet, Matteo Meloni, will be published in 2026 in Delos, a journal of world languages and literatures. Without this one course on Modern Italian Poetry, I do not think I would’ve had the confidence to pursue this type of work. This course provided me a good foundation for studying Italian literature and I often returned to the course to re-read some of my favorite authors. I am excited to return to Italy this spring with all of my newly acquired knowledge of the culture and language. Since studying Modern Italian Poetry I have longed to visit some of the places that inspired the poetry we discussed. Now that I have a position as a teaching assistant in Italy this spring, I am planning on going to those places soon.
—Delaney Johnson
Want to explore experiential learning opportunities like Delaney’s? Learn more about the International Scholars Program, study abroad experiences with UF International Center (UFIC), language learning, and UF’s seven categories of experiential learning.
Explore Delaney’s ePortfolio to see how she showcased her poetry, translations, creative projects, and experiential learning journey. EPortfolios are a powerful way to document and share your own hands-on experiences at UF.
