One decision changed Ben Laizerovich’s life forever. As a senior studying hospitality management at the University of Missouri, making the choice to study abroad opened the door to possibilities he didn’t even know existed.
What started out as a six-week program in Florence, Italy, led Laizerovich to the opportunity of a lifetime in New York City.
“I still have the biggest case of imposter syndrome,” he said.
Laizerovich said the decision to sign up for CAFNR’s study abroad program in Italy during the summer of 2025 was a no-brainer.
“A lot of us had been wanting to do it for a while, and when it got serious, we were like, ‘Let’s do it. We don’t have a reason not to,’” said Laizerovich.
Between forming close relationships with fellow Mizzou students, Italian locals and professors, to getting unique opportunities at his internship, Laizerovich said his experience was perfect.
“If I could travel back and relive it, I would again and again and I would not change a single darn thing that I had done,” he said.
Laizerovich had the opportunity to work in a kitchen as part of his internship, which solidified his dreams of going into the culinary field. He said the trip as a whole was one of the highlights of his life.
“I don’t think you’ll ever find somebody who went on a study abroad program and didn’t immediately be like, ‘Okay, I need to move to this place,’ or ‘This was the peak of my life,’” he said.
But it was one experience during his internship in Italy that set into motion Laizerovich’s opportunity to continue his culinary pursuits in New York City.
“The entire New York thing was entirely by chance. I had no idea that it even existed,” he said. “It was day two of me working in the kitchen and the head guy was like, ‘Hey, I have a program that I think you’d be really cool for.’”
That program was Tutto Toscana, which partnered with the James Beard Foundation. Laizerovich traveled to New York City for a week in September 2025 where he attended and helped put on a gala for the organization.
“It was really cool because not only were we having to put something on and present food to people, but we also had to teach other kids,” he said.
During the week, Laizerovich and his fellow group of students traveled to a community college and high school to show local students how to cook leading up to the gala.
“The actual gala dinner was the coolest 72 hours of my entire life,” he said.
Part of that experience included Laizerovich pulling an all-nighter after the gala so he could travel back to Mizzou in time for the Homecoming game.
“I wasn’t going to miss that,” he said.
Laizerovich’s passion for Mizzou is something that sparked inside him the very first time he visited campus.
“I was like, ‘Okay, this is the magic feeling. This is the place I’m supposed to go,’” he said.
Laizerovich’s experiences in hospitality management at Mizzou have taken him across campus, across the country and across the world. They’ve also shown him what his future could look like.
“I know that my life is supposed to end up in New York at some point,” Laizerovich said. “My trip showed me that.”
The unforgettable opportunities CAFNR has given him are adventures he will always be thankful for.
“I’m very grateful that I was able to even do the things I did,” Laizerovich said.
For other CAFNR students who have not participated in a study abroad program, Laizerovich’s advice is simple.
“For anybody who is considering it, or for those who have just a little bit of interest in it, the number of doors that any program can offer you is absolutely amazing,” he said.