Archive: Around Town

Taylor Randall enrolled at New Roots as a freshman in 2011. After graduation she took a gap year to connect with her Italian ancestral roots. Impressed with her tenacity in the face of chronic illness I captured this interview about her inspirational trip.

Where in Italy are you living and why did you decide to go there?

"Right now I am in Calitri, Italy, a small hillside town just above Naples. About six years ago I was going through a rough patch with my health and my mom asked me to think of something I really want and to work for it. A trip to Italy popped in my head. I really wanted to move there, live there and go to school there. For the past year I've been working on my health and talking with Europass in order to pull this trip together.

You and your mom have worked hard in preparation for this trip. I understand that in recognition of your tremendous effort, you received a scholarship from The Italian Institute of Culture in New York.

"The school was there for the entire process and Europass worked hard to help me get this scholarship. The school supported my dream. Everyone worked together to make it happen."

Europass is an initiative that helps people build skills and qualifications like learning a language that will allow them to pursue studies and perhaps a career abroad. Taylor began her trip to Italy with an intensive two-week language study in Florence.

What are your goals?

"My main goal is to learn Italian and grasp the culture of the Italian people. I'm half Italian and I've always wanted to find myself through the people. It has helped me learn more about myself."

Taylor will be in Italy with her mother for a total of three months. At the time of this interview, they were living in Calitri , a small town of 5,000 inhabitants overlooking the river Ofanto in the province of Avellino.


Can you describe where you are living?

"My mom found Calitri, a really beautiful city set on a mountain side. The houses are piled on top of each other with views you think you'd only see in fairy tales. There is a 14th century castle which I have found to be incredibly beautiful. The town is full of true Italians.The language is so old here, just like the culture."

Taylor and her mother registered with Work Away, an organization on-line that connects volunteers with homestays.

What other experiences have you had while living in Italy?

"In hopes of finding myself abroad, I found that I have become more lost within myself than when I started my journey. This has given me a different outlook on myself and how I can progress into the person I hope to be! It makes things a lot scarier, but like I said in my graduation speech this is the time to get lost and scared"

Taylor was one of five valisalutatorians who delivered remarks at our June, 2015 commencement at the State Theatre.

You and your mother did two other Work Aways as well. Can you tell us about that?

"You get to meet a lot of people from all around the world. I helped build a fence to keep the chickens in so they would be safe from the hunters and the fox."


Fully immersed in culture and language Taylor helped clear dead trees and branches, breaking them down for firewood. She cleaned the family's home, did laundry, ironed sheets and clothing and even looked after their daughter occasionally. She did all this in her newly acquired second language.

"To join, you make a profile and write about yourself and post pictures. Homeowners and farms see your profile and they contact you to stay with them for free and work with them. You get one or two days off a week to do your own work. (Work Away) is a way to explore your surroundings and go in-depth with the culture while saving money. We stayed with a couple and their daughter for about a month. The husband is an Italian cook, a chef, and the wife runs a bed and breakfast inn. We helped with their daughter and the B&B."

I understand this experience inspired you to write a children's book for sick children?

"I had been trying for years. I was ironing some sheets for the B&B when I got a flash of just one word in my head and then more and more words came to me and within 15 minutes the book was written. Traveling abroad, you're in a place you don't know, the language, the people, you have to trust your instincts and trust yourself. (Traveling) makes life more exciting. It also gives you the chance to leave what you know behind so you can see the future more clearly!"

What are your plans for the future?

"Two weeks of learning Italian wasn't enough but the skills will help me learn to speak fluent Italian. My family roots are the Picco's and I want to find them, to introduce myself and to learn from them."

"We'll stay in Calitri for the rest of our stay —  we've developed family here. Even though they don't speak English, somehow we do understand each other through emotions. They have invited us to stay for Christmas. I really wish everyone could experience this —  (it is) a whole new perspective on the world."

When Taylor returns to the US she plans to start looking for colleges and more study abroad opportunities as well as send her book to some publishers in hopes that it will get published and help other young people thrive in the face of chronic illness.

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