I am a marketing major and international business minor in the Eli Broad College of Business here at Michigan State University. I spent the spring semester of my junior year studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain at the University Pompeu Fabra. In this program, I directly enrolled at a Spanish university and spent the entire semester in Barcelona taking humanities and business courses.

The choice to study abroad was easily one of the best decisions I have made during my time at Michigan State. I have dreamed of living in Spain in college since I was a middle schooler, and the experience was even more fantastic than my thirteen‐year‐old self could have imagined. It was absolutely incredible to meet students from all over the world, travel from country to country on the weekends, and learn about business, culture, and history from a global perspective. The professors abroad were so interesting, knowledgeable, and helpful, and I now know a wealth of information on topics outside of my degree that I never would have gotten the opportunity to learn about, such as creativity and censorship in film and the Jewish experience in medieval Spain.

Furthermore, I learned just as much outside of the classroom as I did inside of it. Getting to explore Barcelona (and subsequently fall in love with the city) was the highlight of my study abroad experience. Barcelona truly has it all ‐ sea, mountains, city life, charming neighborhoods, fascinating history ‐ and getting to spend three months learning as much as possible about the city and its inhabitants was amazing. From wandering around the Gothic Quarter to spending an afternoon in the Museu Picasso to taking the metro to hiking trails overlooking the city, I truly saw something new each and every day I was abroad.

I want to say thank you to the donors that contributed to the scholarship I received for my education abroad experience. Getting a scholarship gave me so much freedom to explore Barcelona, Spain, and Europe during my time abroad. I am so grateful for the money you have invested in my experience and the experience of other MSU students participating in education abroad ‐ the time I spent in Spain was so special to me and will undoubtedly have an immeasurable impact on my educational and professional career. Thank you!

Name: Elise VanDyke
Status: Junior
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Grand Haven, Michigan
Program: Pompeu Fabra University