Meet Scott & Meagan Holcomb of Molise Italian Studies

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott & Meagan Holcomb.

Hi Scott & Meagan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you, we are so grateful for this opportunity to share our story! We are both public educators by trade and have worked for many years within the K-12 education system in different cities and states. If there was one thing we noticed as a common thread it was that the system is a mess. From bureaucracy to a lack of authentic educational opportunities and funding, to burnt-out educators and overmedicated children–the entirety of it was breaking us (and our own kids) down. It’s not just a problem in the US, but all over the world. We are at a turning point in the human experience and we realized that we couldn’t just sit back and watch it all go up in flames. It’s clear that what may have served us before no longer does, and we knew there had to be a way. But we had no clue where to begin, and it all seemed so overwhelming.

So we started backward planning our ideal life–what strengths do we both have, what are we passionate about, and what world do we want to work towards for ourselves, our children, and our students? Meagan is a people person and entrepreneur at heart, and Scott is a writer and organizer. We are both passionate about intercultural experiences and travel, and we both have a heart for service. That gave us the bones.

Then we came across a CNN article about a grant program through the regional government of Molise, Italy that was paying people to come to live there…as long as they brought a business. We had not even heard of Molise (the second smallest region in Italy) and mispronounced it on first reading (it is pronounced [moˈliːze], i.e. mo-LEE-zay), but we were instantly inspired. We were rapidly throwing around ideas of what we could do–a coffee shop, handmade journals, something sustainable and also unique…nothing was fitting, and none of it felt right. We spent countless hours playing “What if?” and “A day in the life of…,” and finally it hit like a ton of bricks and seemingly out of nowhere: go back to the bones. Travel + service + education + social change = a whole new kind of study abroad.

There in our living room was the birth of what would eventually become Molise Italian Studies, a unique and comprehensive study abroad program centered around linguistic and cultural immersion, transformative service learning, and a research-backed, first-of-its-kind curriculum of Intercultural Citizenship—that is, the rights and responsibilities relevant to improving human interactions across difference. Such Intercultural Citizenship is increasingly necessary in a polarized and shrinking world, and Molise is an ideal location for a more purposeful education and a more intentional life that can change our participants and their communities for the better.

After that it was a landslide of meetings with mentors and potential partners, curriculum building, reading (have mercy there was so much reading), self-educating, Intercultural Coaching, business planning, navigating through a pandemic, and of course, falling in love with Molise (although it was over a year and a half before we were actually able to set foot there). We realized that in order to set forth our own ripples toward positive and sustainable change, we needed to do something that hasn’t been done before, and we needed a “village” to scaffold our own development toward becoming the best facilitators we could be.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! Anything but smooth, but totally worth it. In the last two and a half years everything has been turned inside-out and upside-down in the most surprising and igniting ways. When COVID hit, we realized that the Molise Active Residence Grant may never come, so we had to decide if we were still willing to risk everything for this program that wasn’t more than a rough curriculum and a website. We sold everything we owned, quit our careers as teachers, and traveled from Tucson to Italy to Colorado, reassembling our lives with passion, intention, and a vision of a world in which all individuals can lead safe, fulfilling, and purposeful lives in mindful harmony and cooperation with those of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

We have had to revise our programs, cultivate partnerships, and constantly decide what was worth our time and attention, all while raising (and now world schooling) our children. But we have gotten a taste for bucking a system that doesn’t make sense to us and we are willing to continue risking it all to work towards a better world.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Molise Italian Studies?
Molise Italian Studies challenges traditional study abroad and tourism models through the integration of holistic Global Intercultural Citizenship; safe, scaffolded, and individualized instruction and support; and intentional and sustainable travel. Molise IS a full slate of travel and education programs for participants of any background, including Adult Study Abroad, Digital Nomads, Italian Language training, Full University Semesters, and Summer Internships—all based in the small and authentic Italian region of Molise.

Our domestic and virtual division, The Center for Intercultural Citizenship, also offers short courses and virtual internships for those who cannot travel.

Two inevitable questions of our lifetime are how to share our planet, and, by extension, how to share a common dignity. We don’t have all the answers, but the tiny ripples each of us make by acting on an exploration of those questions can lead to giant waves of positive change.

Through our broad range of immersive and transformative program options, we bring our vision, mission, and passion together in the magical land of hillside villages, stunning vistas, and welcoming people that is Molise to cultivate curious, compassionate, and effective global citizens committed to fostering a broader respect for fundamental human dignity and for our shared planet. In short, Molise IS bridging the difference to make a difference.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
We like to say that we are Type A & Type Z and we meet somewhere around the middle… Scott was a sheltered nerd who loved school and sports. A quiet guy with attention to detail and organization, Scott was a mastermind with Legos and a paper football pro! He loved the Atlanta Braves (and still does–sometimes to a fault) and loved to geek out on Roman history and Latin.

Meagan, on the other hand, was (and is) the queen of “go with the flow.” She would dance rather than walk, sing rather than speak, and loved putting together some sort of show for anyone who would be her audience–a Leo through and through. Every school conference mentioned her “social butterfly” tendencies and she often found herself as the ringleader of shenanigans with the neighborhood kids. Meagan was never a fan of school but loved volunteering every opportunity she could get and had a passion for the underdogs and making sure that everyone felt included and loved.

Pricing:

• Adult Study Abroad programs starting at $2,200 (Italian Language Training, 2.5-week trips, Digital Nomad, and more!)
• Full Semester university program is $12,800 (16 credits, internship, homestay, a trip to Rome, and more!)
• Summer Internship + is $8,900 (9-10 credits, internship, & homestay)
• Difr Dive (a Center for Intercultural Citizenship virtual short course great for both personal and professional development) is $750.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moliseitalianstudies.com
• Instagram: @molise_is
• Facebook: MoliseIS
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/molise-italian-studies
• Other: https://centerforic.com