What I believe is the most important thing I learned while in Spain is how business interacts with people. Let me explain: I came into this trip without much excitement about business and didn’t have a clear plan for how business would be part of my life in the future. What I discovered during this trip, thanks to Professor McFarland and some of my classmates, was how business can positively affect people all over the world in life-changing and life-saving ways. I quickly realized that I had a very narrow and relatively negative view of business as a whole. Now, back in the United States, I’ve had time to reflect and pray over everything I’ve learned, allowing me to digest this new perspective I’ve been given. Initially, I didn’t have high expectations for this course and was primarily excited to be in Barcelona, with the school being a secondary focus. However, I can say with absolute certainty that the perspective I’ve gained will be more valuable to me than any of the sites I visited and believe me, I saw some amazing places.
This leads me to why I would recommend this program. Simply put, it’s an extremely unique opportunity that you can only access while you’re in college. I was able to deepen my friendships with people I would have only met through this trip and even strengthen relationships with friends I already had going into the program. I was able to live in a foreign country with amazing people, and the program provided plenty of activities for us, so I never had to worry about what to do or plan. You just can’t beat the experience of living in a foreign country and exploring its culture in a more authentic way than just visiting on vacation. I can’t say enough good things about this trip, and I feel very blessed to have been a part of it!
