CPPL Capstone
Studying in Sevilla 2022
To complete my studies in the College Park Scholars Public Leadership Program, I spent a semester living and studying in one of Spain's major cities, Sevilla
Description of my practicum
To earn my public leadership scholar’s citation, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain, which I will refer to by its Spanish name, Sevilla (sev-EE-ya). I am not exaggerating when I say this was the most amazing experience of my life. Over the course of three months, I was able to experience a new culture, grow my language skills and travel to amazing places. From early February until May 2022, I lived with a host family in the historic city center of Sevilla. My family was amazing; every day I loved chatting with my host mom, Tamara, or playing with my “siblings”, Martina, Fran and Sofia. We ate meals together and they gave me lots of advice and insight into Spanish culture.
In Sevilla, I took classes with a program called Spanish Studies Abroad at a school called “centro norteamericano” that also taught English to local kids. Upon arrival, I signed an agreement that I would only speak Spanish in classes or during school trips and activities, or else risk failing my classes. While this was a challenge, the Spanish-Only Policy helped me to grow my skills, and in the end, I won an award for my improvement. At the center, I took four classes: a grammar class, a political science class and two history classes. I absolutely loved all these classes; we had great conversations in grammar, learning about Spanish politics was fascinating, and it was incredible to learn Spanish history and then visit the sites where significant events occurred.
I loved living and studying in Sevilla, but one of the best parts about studying abroad was travelling to new places. I was away almost every weekend but spent most of my time travelling within Spain. My Spanish minor advisor, Dr. Chris Lewis told me that students who went to Spain often didn’t spend enough time there and later regretted it. I wanted to experience as much of Spain as I could, so I followed his advice and travelled domestically. I visited Aracena, Cordoba, Ronda, Carmona, Bilbao, Granada, Valencia and Madrid on different weekends throughout the program. They were each amazing, so if you want to hear more, just ask me! I also took advantage of being in the European Union by visiting Paris, France and Lisbon, Portugal which were honestly two of the best trips of the program for me. I love travelling because I get to see another country’s history, try new food, and reflect on the cultural similarities and differences. I am sad that travelling to other countries is not as accessible from the U.S. and hope I can travel again soon!
What I learned
When living in Sevilla, I felt as though I was learning more every day than I had ever learned before! On a practical level, living in another country without friends and family requires a new level of independence. I learned valuable skills like navigating public transportation, how to deal with a language barrier, and how to plan a successful trip. These skills will help me, not only as I travel, but also as I graduate from college and become fully independent. The trip instilled in me a new level of self-confidence. Traveling in a foreign country, where you are the only adult shows you how truly capable you are of dealing with difficult situations. Coming back to the U.S., I feel a new sense of independence and confidence that will stick with me in the years to come.
In addition to the practical skills, I also learned a lot more Spanish. While I had been studying Spanish for almost decade and a half, and even attended an immersion school when I was younger, I felt my Spanish was barely functionable before I arrived. Whether I just lacked the confidence to use it, or was missing key vocab or grammar structures, I don’t know, but after living in Sevilla for three months, I can say for sure I improved. Some days it was a struggle to speak, and others I felt practically fluent, but overall, the immersion helped me to gain the confidence that I needed. I had a great support system in both my teachers and my host family that helped me to grow. They encouraged me and offered words when I was struggling. I really hope to keep using my Spanish when I get back so I don’t lose all the great progress I made!
Another thing I learned about was a new culture and the politics of Spain. In my experience, growing up in the U.S., we learned about other cultures and global news from a distance, so it was hard to understand the human implications of both. Living there, my eyes were opened to many interesting similarities and differences. For example, unlike American culture, which is very individualistic, Spanish culture is much more collective, which means that people live closer together, and they spend less time working and more time together. This is probably what I will miss most about Spain because my extroverted self thrived in this environment. Learning about Spanish politics was also very valuable to me as a Policy Major. Spain has a multiparty democratic system, and while it is far from perfect, and politics are always a bit messy, I think the U.S. government could learn from it. From the perspective of PL, this class really helped me to learn about leadership outside of the American context I have always known. For example, Spain’s history and the recent dictatorship of Francisco Franco has a large impact on how they view leadership. Overall, learning about the politics and government of Spain was a highlight of my time there.
Growth
I mentioned earlier, but the way I have grown the most through this experience is by gaining more independence and confidence in what I can do. Not only am I better at travelling alone, but I also am much better at navigating unpredictable situations and solving problems quickly on your feet. Travelling is often a learn-on-the-go experience, but each of the challenging situations I have overcome has made me stronger. While I know my answer to this question might look a little different than many of my peers because my practicum did not occur in a traditionally “public leadership” setting, I can still demonstrate my growth.
The example I want to give is the weekend trip I took to Paris in early April. This trip really showed my independence and leadership skills because I was travelling with a friend who has special needs. Not only did I have to plan and execute the whole trip myself, I had to be conscious the whole time about how she was doing and if she needed anything. She also has different limits than I do, so I needed to be aware of when she needed to rest. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about going just the two of us, because it was a lot of responsibility and I thought I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Paris is a big city and neither of us speak French, so my mind just raced with the possibilities about what could go wrong. In the end, we both had the absolute best time in Paris; it was truly one of the best trips I went on. Paris was magical; It snowed the first day, which was beautiful, and we kept warm by visiting museums (the Louvre, of course, and also le musee L’Orangerie) and in cute restaurants where we ate delicious food. The second day we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then Sante Chapelle which had incredible stained glass. We walked as much as she could manage all over the beautiful city and had a great time. There were a few stressful moments trying to navigate public transportation (out of all the places I went, public transport was the worst in Paris, in my opinion), but overall, I learned how to persevere, and be strong and calm for the both of us. This weekend I really had to step up and be a leader and coming back to Sevilla I felt very accomplished and satisfied with all we saw. Enjoy some of the awesome pictures!
Another example of growth in my Spanish speaking skills and my research development in Spain is this podcast I made for my political science class. The topic was very interesting to me: Racism in Spain. I conducted research, wrote a 10-page paper, and then presented my findings to the class in the form of this podcast. Of course, it is in Spanish, but feel free to listen if you're interested!
Application
My three months in Spain have provided me with many valuable skills and experiences that will help me in my future career. While I am not set on one exact profession, I will likely be working with people who are incarcerated or people who have spent time in the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, due to society’s criminalization of minorities, a significant portion of this population has a Latin or Hispanic background. Therefore, being able to speak the language will serve me well. In addition to basic communication, it is also very comforting to be spoken to in your native tongue, and I hope to best support and care for those I am working for. I look forward to using my Spanish skills developed during my practicum to help Spanish-speakers in the U.S. criminal justice system.
In addition to using my Spanish, the experience of living in another culture will serve me well in my future career. It is a humbling experience being part of a minority and struggling with the language. While I am still very privileged and did not experience any blatant discrimination, it was still a unique experience that caused me to reflect on how immigrants are treated in the U.S. This reflection and the experience of being an outsider caused me to address both my country’s subconscious biases and my own. It has taught me the importance of clear communication and that I need to give myself and others more grace in cross-cultural interactions. When you have lived as the member of the social and racial majority for your entire life, it is extremely difficult to imagine the perspective of those who are marginalized by society. I will never forget this experience, and all that it has taught me. I am incredibly grateful to have lived in Spain, and I will use the skills I have learned in both my professional and personal life.
The Future
At UMD
At the moment, I plan to spend the rest of my time at UMD on campus in College Park but would definitely be open to studying abroad again if the opportunity arises. I look forward to many interesting Public Policy and Criminal Justice classes where I will continue to hone my passion and eventually find the exact career path that’s right for my leadership style. This summer I am excited to work an internship position for an organization called uncuffed which works to mentor kids within detention centers. I am very excited to get this hands-on experience with the criminal justice system and to see the human effects of crime and crime prevention policy. I also work on campus at Eppley Recreation Center and look forward to continuing my work as a supervisor. I look forward to more adventures, clubs, classes, and seeing fellow PL alumni around campus!
Career
At the moment, I plan to spend the rest of my time at UMD on campus in College Park but would definitely be open to studying abroad again if the opportunity arises. I look forward to many interesting Public Policy and Criminal Justice classes where I will continue to hone my passion and eventually find the exact career path that’s right for my leadership style. This summer I am excited to work an internship position for an organization called uncuffed that works to mentor kids within detention centers. I am very excited to get this hands-on experience with the criminal justice system and to see the human effects of crime and crime prevention policy. I also work on campus at Eppley Recreation Center and look forward to continuing my work as a supervisor. I look forward to more adventures, clubs, classes and seeing fellow PL alumni around campus!
