Rose Simonson ’27 gazed up at the Pantheon’s massive exterior, her eyes traveling from its granite columns to the peak of its towering triangular roof.
Walking inside, she stood beneath a domed ceiling in a sprawling interior that was once dedicated to Roman gods. After learning that the building had only survived because it was converted into a Christian church, she wondered how the same space could remain a place of worship even as the religion practiced within it changed over time.
Built almost 2,000 years ago, the Pantheon was one of the many historical sites Simonson visited during the Trinity in Italy program this past June. The three-week program, based in Rome, immersed students in the religious and cultural landscape of the city under the guidance of religion professors Rubén Dupertuis, Ph.D., and Chad Spigel, Ph.D.
When she first heard about the trip, Simonson was excited by the opportunity to explore Italy and equally intrigued by the course that they would be taking during their time there. The class, called “Pagans, Jews, and Christians,” examines how ancient religious practices influenced the development of Rome.
The material appealed to Simonson, a music education major, who had discovered an interest in religion since coming to Trinity University.
“I originally took ‘African Religions in the Caribbean’ for a Pathways credit,” she says, referring to the curriculum framework that emphasizes multidisciplinary learning. “It was really, really fascinating, and I was like, ‘Oh wait, I'm actually really interested in this stuff.’”
She also took a class on the New Testament, which offered a fresh perspective on teachings she was more familiar with, having grown up in the Church.
Besides the interesting material, Simonson enjoyed religion classes because of the space they offered her to step outside of her major classes in music. As the president of the Tiger Stand Band, the pep band that plays at athletic games, a member of the wind ensemble and the jazz band, and part of the music fraternity Mu Sigma Psi, Simonson practically lives and breathes music at Trinity.
Simonson saw the Trinity in Italy summer program as the perfect opportunity to explore her growing passion for religion without having to juggle her music schedule at the same time.
The Italy class exposed her to religion in a way she had never experienced before by bringing her face-to-face with the subject matter.
“Rome was our classroom,” Simonson says. “If we were talking about the Colosseum, we would read about it beforehand, but then lecture in front of it.”
Getting to learn about different religious ideas in the very backdrop where they emerged gave Simonson a more concrete understanding of their historical context and significance.
“When you're reading about it, you believe it. But when you're standing right there, it makes it seem even more real,” she says.
Simonson’s learning didn’t start and stop whenever the professors were lecturing. Being in an unfamiliar city was educational in itself, especially when navigating the language barrier.
“Getting to read all the signs in Italian and listen to people talk Italian and try to speak it was really wonderful,” she says.
Whether it was ordering her daily cup of coffee in the afternoon or making conversation with someone on the bus, there were countless moments where Simonson had the chance to connect with someone from a culture other than her own. She appreciated how these moments led her to do things even if she was a little nervous, a mentality she knows will benefit her when she becomes a music teacher.
“There are a lot of little things that are just uncomfortable when you're in a country where you don't speak their language,” Simonson says. “Being a teacher, I feel like there are going to be a lot of things that might be uncomfortable. So I can definitely see it helping me.”
Editor's Notes: In the above images, (left) Simonson stands beneath an arch in Pompeii. (right) Simonson stands in the middle of the Pantheon, one of her favorite sites they visited during the trip.