Study Abroad Student Forced To Cut Semester Short Over Coronavirus

DENVER (CBS4) – A Colorado resident studying abroad in Italy will have to cut her semester short and make her way back to the United States. Her program was cancelled this week in response to concerns of a coronavirus outbreak in the country.

"I wanted to study in Italy since I was a freshman," Madison Griggs told CBS4 on a video chat Thursday. "They have a beautiful culture and so I wanted to be a part of it."

Griggs worked hard to get accepted into the program at the beginning of her junior year and said the classes in Florence were off to a great start. She's studying marketing and environmental science, arriving in January with plans to stay in Italy through April.

A friend in Milan told Griggs they were under quarantine but Griggs thought she wouldn't be affected until she got an email notifying her otherwise.

"We were about halfway through our program when it was cancelled," Griggs said. "Didn't think that was going to be our last time in Florence all together."

The coronavirus is spreading fast outside of China according to the World Health Organization and Italy is one of the countries where the increase in cases is most significant.

Griggs spoke to CBS4 from Berlin while on her spring break. She plans to travel back to Florence over the weekend so she can gather her belongings and say goodbye.

Returning to the U.S. will first take Griggs through London before she arrives in Denver next month. Classes will most likely continue online before she gets back to campus in April. She attends Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

"I'm excited to go home, I miss Denver and the snow."

While this will be a shocking end to her study abroad semester and her first visit in Europe, she knows the officials running the program have her best interest in mind. She says the students in her group will be cautious and remain safe while they finish their time in Italy.

"I still had a great times and I don't regret anything, and I'm not disappointed in my experience," Griggs said.