France

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French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789, seizing weapons, freeing political prisoners, and marking a flashpoint in the country’s violent struggle against its monarchy. In the chaos, the prison’s records were scattered and damaged. “You can still see the footprints on these documents more than two centuries later,” said Elise Coelho, a Class of 2026 global cultural studies major at Suffolk who traveled to Paris during spring break as part of an academic travel seminar, Fashioning Revolution at the Intersection of the Long 18th Century. Stepping into the Arsenal Library, where the Bastille’s records are preserved, was a magical experience, said Coelho—“somewhere between the Boston Public Library and Harry Potter” and yet utterly unique. A reverent hush fell over the students as they climbed the grand staircase to rooms hung with antique paintings. There they met with one of the collection’s expert librarians for a private viewing of historic manuscripts and volumes on a day the library was closed to the public. For Coelho, the experience “was like going back in time.” She found herself fascinated by the librarian’s work as a steward of history and began to envision a new career path for herself in archives: “I asked her, ‘How do you conserve paper so fragile, so damaged?’ and I was mesmerized by the process. This trip changed my perception of what I want to do in the future.” While she gained an academic grounding from experts before the trip—Professors Barbara Abrams, Bob Allison, and Marjorie Salvodon shared insights into the French, American, and Hatian Revolutions, respectively—Coelho, who hails from São Paulo, Brazil, said traveling to where historical events happened added depth and nuance to her understanding of those moments and figures. Each location on their packed itinerary provided a new perspective, from the Louvre (top photo) to the Palace of Versailles. “We read and talked a lot about Marie Antoinette in class, and her role in the revolution,” Coelho said. “Versailles was aesthetically beautiful, but it had a cruelty underneath it. Seeing that story come out of the pages of a book and become real was so incredible. I had to be there to really understand what I read.”

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spring 2025

Photograph courtesy of Barbara Abrams

By Andrea Grant

Photograph courtesy of Trina Bryant

LONDON: “I was surprised at how many big name people we were able to get to meet with from the advertising world. It was amazing that all of the students in the class, even those who were not advertising majors/minors, were excited to be there and had questions. I would 100% recommend this to other students. It is an accessible way for people to be able to go abroad no matter your stage at Suffolk,” said history major Michele McCue, Class of 2026.

Team iWorks (front row, from left): senior intern Genesis Baez; Moakley Center Associate Director Rae’Niqua Victorine, MAAP ’23, MPA ’23; intern Samanta Torres; Moakley Center Director of Administration Nicole Rivers, MPA ’98; senior job coach Yu Shan Hsieh, BSBA ’23, MPA ’25; iWorks Director Dacia Gallow; job coach Raequan Victorine; (back row) Brendan Burke, director of the Moakley Center for Public Administration.

PARIS, LONDON, AND DUBLIN While some College of Arts & Sciences students delved into revolutionary history in Paris, others immersed themselves in the bustle and business of London through the Creativity in Global Branding: Piccadilly advertising and public relations seminar, or explored Irish literature, culture, and history—from Dublin, to Belfast and Galway—in the English course, Ireland to America (and Back Again).

LONDON: “My favorite part of the experience was the business meetings we had with the two major companies that dealt with the advertising of the Piccadilly Lights. I found their advice valuable, and being able to speak directly to them was an opportunity I would’ve never gotten to have without this course. I was able to learn about the company’s goals and knowledge in each process of Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, which greatly contributed to my understanding of global marketing,” said English major Aiko Luka, Class of 2026. (Photo by Michele McCue)

LONDON: “This experience gave me confidence in traveling and also in figuring out what I want to do. It confirmed for me that I need to spend a semester here. It was such an enjoyable experience that allowed me to learn a little more about myself and about my field of interest in an international setting,” said public relations major Emerson Dyer, Class of 2028. (Photo by Emerson Dyer)

DUBLIN: “My favorite part of our trip to Ireland was visiting Belfast. Seeing the murals took our readings in class about the Troubles and put them right in front of our faces. The paintings were incredibly detailed, telling the stories of the North of Ireland. Belfast had the most lasting impact on what we are learning in class,” said political science major Erin Morrissey, Class of 2026. (Photo by Erin Morrissey)

DUBLIN: “I was most surprised by the friendships I made. Although we had been in class together all semester, there were unexpected bonds formed while on the trip, which I am super grateful for,” said political science major Erin Morrissey, Class of 2026. (Photo by Erin Morrissey)

PARIS: “I had never been to Paris, but had participated in the Italy Travel Seminar to Rome/Florence/Milan and the Global Gateway Program to Madrid. This specific trip made me want to stay in France and study abroad there or even move there. Learning about the different revolutions, especially the French, really caught my interest. It made me think differently about my studies [and now I’m] very interested in taking more history classes,” says journalism major Anthony Boyd, Class of 2026. (Photo by Barbara Abrams)