Alex Graves
Instituto de Educación Secundaria Laguna de Joatzel

This semester I interned at a bilingual secondary education institute near the Carlos III University in Getafe. It was a great opportunity to try out teaching – something I´ve always been interested in and never had the chance to do. I collaborated with teachers on lesson plans and activities and also presented the material through lectures and group work. It was a fantastic opportunity to see what teaching was really like: through working with professors and students I created and presented lesson plans, held conversation classes with women my age, and tested the younger students on my subject (I taught biology in English). The staff at the institute was my favorite part; they were some of the nicest most helpful people I´ve worked with and they made the experience a blast. I got to practice my Spanish with them and the kids (when not in class) but I do wish there had been more Spanish spoken at the institute (most profs are bilingual and thus automatically spoke to me in English…I had to insist on Spanish quite often). This was a great opportunity to see what the field of teaching was like, and now I have a better sense of how I deal with being a teacher and if it´s the right thing for me. To anyone interested in working with kids or the field of teaching, I would HIGHLY recommend this institute, it was a fantastic experience.

SARAH ASHBY
Organización Iberoamericana de la Juventud

During my semester in Madrid I participated in a non-credit bearing internship with La Organización Iberoamericana de la Juventud (OIJ). I would say without hesitation that this internship was one of the most valuable, enjoyable activities that I involved myself in while studying in Spain. I worked an average of ten hours per week in the central office of the organization, which is located right in the heart of the city, a short walk away from the Sede Prim. The OIJ is an intergovernmental organization that works to coordinate and promote youth-friendly policies, activities, and initiatives among various Latin American countries, Spain, and Portugal. They have recently published a land-mark document, the first and only such document in existence, in fact, calling for the recognition and protection of youth rights in the member countries. Much of the work that I did for the OIJ involved Portuguese-Spanish translation, as the office needed someone to translate communications for Portugal and Brazil. I additionally researched and wrote a report on the troubles facing young migrants in Latin America, which was eventually to be used in an intergovernmental summit about youth migration. My final task at the OIJ was to compile a spreadsheet of international grants and funds available to the organization. Through my internship I was able to meet and befriend Spaniards, and use Spanish in a professional setting.

Hallie Ritzu (graduate)
Fundación Santa María La Real

La Fundacion Santa Maria la Real is a non-profit organization founded by Jose Maria Perez "Peridis," a renowned Spanish architect and artist who publishes his daily political cartoon in the newspaper El Pais. The headquarters of the Foundation is in Aguilar del Campoo in the North of Spain and the Madrid office is responsible for sales and publications. A large part of Foundation's work has to do with the restoration and documentation of Romanesque Art and Architecture in Spain.  An internship with the Fundación requires the ability to work independently on tasks such as translation and making contacts to various businesses and organizations both in Europe and abroad, mostly in connection with publications such as the Encyclopedia of the Romanesque in Spain. The internship also includes a trip to the headquarters in Palencia. The schedule is very flexible and is established in accordance with the student's academic schedule. It is a great internship for someone with an interest in sales, translation, Art History and just general knowledge about relations within a professional office setting in Spain.

MOLLY KNOLL
Ashoka Emprendedores Sociales  - Fall 2006

I researched possible Ashoka candidates on the internet and newspaper articles and filled out a summary of their strengths and weaknesses. Also handled other various office tasks.

I think my speed in understanding spoken and written Spanish improved quite a bit. I learned a lot about assigning myself goals for the day and working independently.