Sydney Kysar- FFE 2017-18

It was nice to catch up with our Marist Italy Alumni Sydney Kysar and talk about her FFE experience.

Why did you choose the FFE program?

I wanted to learn art from the source!! Going to museums and being able to see a Botticelli or Caravaggio in person is more memorable than reading them in a textbook. 

What’s your best memory about that experience?

Definitely visiting Naples with Professor Ulary and Campisi. The best gluten free pizza I have ever eaten. I loved just sitting with all my classmates by the water and going to the beach and meeting everyone for the first time. This was still early on in the program and I took so many photos. I like to look back on them because I was taking photos with complete strangers who ended up being my best friends. 

What did you enjoy the most about the experience?

I loved living in a city the was so full of adventure but I also felt safe in. It was the perfect sand box for me to explore what I wanted with my college education. 

What were the challenges you had to face?

Food!! I was so homesick for a good burger during my first month of FFE. But once I found the right cafes and restaurants, locals started to remember me, I got more confident in my Italian, and now I know all the burger best spots in the city. 

What have you learnt during from that year in Florence?

The people I met while studying abroad definitely had the biggest influence on my college education. I was able to meet students from so many schools: NYU, Emerson, SVA, Temple… connecting with other music and animation majors to create short films and projects outside the classroom. 

Has that experience influenced your next choices?

Definitely! Because of FFE, I was comfortable to study in Tokyo and Venice! Before college, I had only left the country to visit family. FFE gave me the tools to travel safely and confidently on my own. 

What did you do after that?

I studied in Poughkeepsie for the year after FFE but continued to travel with Marist during the 2019 Venice Biennale, Marist in Manhattan, and in Tokyo, Japan. 

What are you doing now?

I paint murals in Los Angeles! I am currently the lead muralist for Access Books, restoring elementary school libraries throughout LA, but I also create signs and murals for Trader Joe’s and other companies. 

What would you like to do in the future?

I want to work in visual development for TV Animation! Taking my experience in murals and children’s book illustration to the big screen.