Jessica is a Student Ambassador from Germany, studying Arts, Museology and Curatorship (AMAC)
Published on 01 December 2025 | Europe
My name is Jessica, I am a second-year student of the international degree program called AMAC (Arts, Museology and Curatorship), and I come from Frankfurt, Germany. After my high school graduation I started attending university in Mainz, where I studied art history and economics. I decided to follow a more creative and artistic path because, since I was a child, I had a passion especially for painting and for expressing myself artistically. For me, art means freedom. Art creates a way to connect more deeply with yourself, your environment and other humans. I chose economics as my second subject because I was interested in how businesses are created, I kind of liked mathematics, and I wanted to reassure my family, who were not so happy with my choice of studying art history. I studied art history and economics for 6 years, and during my Bachelor’s degree I already decided to do my Master’s in art history and curatorship, which means learning how to design and work on an exhibition concept. Before graduating, I gained experience at the Landesmuseum of Mainz thanks to my university. After my graduation I took a one-year study break, during which I worked for an art gallery and an elementary school. I was in contact with artists, designed exhibitions with the gallery, and at the same time I could actively do art with children. The years 2020 to 2023 were the best to understand what my ideal working place would be, and they gave me an even bigger enthusiasm for art, especially contemporary art. So, I decided to continue focusing on contemporary art and curating.
One of my life goals was to live in Italy for a certain time. The first time I came to Bologna was in October 2020 with the Erasmus+ program. At the beginning the program was a challenge for me, because it was my first time alone in another country and I still couldn’t speak Italian. It was the second year of the Covid pandemic and I was afraid I wouldn’t have many chances to meet people. So, I wrote to many girls on an Erasmus+ website who were participating that same year, and luckily one girl answered. We met in Bologna on my third day and we became best friends during our Erasmus+ time. During my life in Bologna I fell in love with the city and the Bolognese citizens. I lived in a shared apartment with 10 Italians and it was one of the best times in my life. In 2023 I applied for the international master program AMAC. I had to obtain an English B2 and French B1 certificate before applying. Then I had an online interview with the professors, where I had to speak first in English and then in French. At the beginning, French was a problem, but the professors were very kind and patient, so I returned to Bologna in November 2023. Finding a home was challenging, but thanks to a very good Italian friend from Erasmus, I found a room in a big shared apartment with 10 Italians and a Portuguese girl, whom I had met before through Facebook. The first weeks were very intense: a new environment, social pressure to meet people, and the daily challenge of speaking English and Italian. But after some time, it all became normal. I studied again art history, but much more contemporary art, taught by my favourite professor, Francesco Spampinato. My professors taught with passion and gave a lot of individual advice. Oral exams were a big transition for me, because in Germany we write essays, give presentations and have written exams. Oral exams were first terrifying, but then many became pleasant conversations. It often didn’t feel like an exam, more like a casual talk about art. I was also asked personal questions, and it was new and refreshing to have this personal exchange. We also had practical courses, in which we could design exhibitions ourselves, and our final presentations during the exhibition days were the best part of my university experience. The only wish I had was to receive more support from the university for our exhibition projects to take them to a higher level.
At the beginning I lived with 12 people in a shared apartment in the centre, only 5 minutes from the “Due Torri”. It was a lot of fun: we had parties, dinners and game evenings. But in the long term it became stressful to have so many people around and to live in the centre. I needed something calmer and moved to another shared apartment outside the walls, in a double room with a very kind and calm girl. There I could concentrate more on my studies. After a year I had to leave because the apartment needed renovation. Now I live even farther outside, in Barca, with a good friend, in an area with a lot of nature and close to San Luca. To reach the centre, I ride my bike along the canal on a side street parallel to Via Andrea Costa. Although the buses come regularly (21, 14, 20, 89), I love biking. In my free time I used to go out to a cafè where I listened to jam sessions, live concerts and DJ nights. During the day I loved hiking on the hills, enjoying the most beautiful views of Bologna, and then going to the city to eat gelato and have aperitivo. In Italy ice cream is another world of taste, and aperitivo is a must to really get into Italian culture. Coming to Italy, especially Bologna, was the best choice of my life. I found lifelong friends and my great love, Matteo. The city is a cultural treasure: full of young energy, dynamic events, curiosities and funny secrets. But I also want to be honest and say that my university years were an up-and-down. I put myself under a lot of pressure and after the first weeks I already wanted to go home. Thanks to my friends, my boyfriend and my family, I had the strength to stay, and I am thankful for every single person I met. Now I am really proud of myself. I finished my last exam last week, and now I am writing my thesis. At the same time, I am working in a language school teaching German and English. My plan is to stay in Bologna after my graduation in March 2026. My boyfriend and I want to move in together, and I want to develop some artistic projects in Bologna. The future can come! :D