At a gathering held at the Auditorium, the Vice-Dean for Research, Postgraduate courses and International Affairs, Dr. Míriam Díez Bosch greeted the group that came together to screen a series of video-podcasts developed during the semester: “In my personal experience as a professor and having some of you in my classes, I know how much life you bring to our university and by watching these videos, it’s clear to me that you had fun and a fruitful learning experience”.

Divided into teams and under the guidance of professor Elena Yeste, the students addressed current affairs subjects like feminism, global warming, and of course, the pandemic with its consequences in everyday life and also in mental health, in 10-15 minutes episodes produced by them.

Planing the come-back

Camila Arjona, a 20-year-old Political Communication student who came from Emerson College in Boston, took classes in the degree of Global Communication Management and in International Relations: “It was really fun to learn different subjects because Political Communication is more focused on the communication side, and GCM is more Business”. All her classes at Blanquerna were in English, and even though she speaks Spanish, she was delighted with the Catalan: “I come from Mexico, I grew up there, but Catalan has been a learning experience”.

For Hikmet Ozturk, a 22-year-old International Relations student from Ankara University in Turkey, it was his first time abroad ever: “I love the city, the School is great and I would love to come back”. Matías Belmar, a 24-year-old Audiovisual Communication student from the Catholic University in Chile, thinks the same: “In my case, it was a little bittersweet because I had issues with the embassy and ended up arriving when the semester was halfway through. But I’m convinced and I’ve decided to come back to do a master’s degree at Blanquerna”.

Brave and courageous

This year was, needless to say, the hardest and more challenging of them all: “We had lots of cancellations from students”, said Marta Esteller, head of the International Affairs Office, “so, thank you for deciding to come to Barcelona, thank you for your bravery, despite all the news concerning Covid that you heard before getting here”.

In fact, some of them felt safer in Barcelona, as was Camila’s experience: “I was less afraid about coming here than being in the US, because at least at the beginning of this whole thing, the US was really bad in terms of cases, and people here were more diligent about wearing their mask and maintaining social distancing, so I was glad about my decision”.

Esteller also acknowledged students' adaptability: “Because it has not been easy to follow online classes at first, then the hybrid system, etc. It must have been difficult for you”. Dr. Díez-Bosch emphasized the courage underneath the experience: “The fact that you are here, and you took this decision, at your age, means that you have half of the way already done. If I were a job hunter, I would highly rate this experience in your CVs”.

When the screening was over, the new Blanquerna Ambassadors from Italy, Belgium, Chile, USA, Portugal, Greece, The Netherlands, Turkey, etc. left the School with a suitcase full of experiences to share and a desire to come back soon.