Meet Our Fall 2023 Alumni Ambassadors

The Barcelona SAE Alumni Ambassador Program is a professional development opportunity for recent alumni of Barcelona SAE programs. Our Alumni Ambassadors develop and implement projects to promote study abroad on their home campuses, and have access to exclusive professional development workshops, individualized coaching, and leadership opportunities in the field of international education and beyond. Ambassadors serve as peer mentors for students interested in studying in Barcelona, and have a unique platform from which to share their stories, stay connected with their experiences abroad, and continue building an international network.

Mariana Atuesta 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Mariana is currently a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Born and raised in Colombia (and living in Chicago now), she studied abroad in Barcelona during the Spring 2023 semester at SIS + UPF. Mariana stayed with a host family and is excited to share her experience with future Barcelona SAE students. If she was asked to give one piece of advice to students before departing to Barcelona it would be to travel within Spain as much as possible! Visiting tons of countries while you are abroad is really exciting, but Spain has so much to offer that you might miss out on if you go away each weekend. Mariana suggests taking any chance you have to explore Catalunya and the little pueblos along the Costa Brava, and promises you will love them!

Natalia Gonzalez
University of Miami

Natalia is a nursing major from the University of Miami, and studied abroad in Barcelona at SIS during the Spring 2023 semester. A little known fact about Natalia is that she loves sharks, and when visiting Barcelona she highly suggests checking out Poble Espanyol, as she went there during a weekend event called “GastroFest” and they had great food along with beautiful trinkets, museum areas, history showcases, beautiful architecture, & great places to take photos! Natalia lived in a homestay during her time in Barcelona so she can gladly help with any questions or concerns about living with a family abroad. Also, as an Afro-Latina with curly hair, she found a black-owned salon in Barcelona that helped her with maintaining her hair health, and they also specialize in natural, color, and braided hair styles.

Mallory McCormick
North Carolina State University

A rising senior at North Carolina State University, Mallory is from Raleigh and is majoring in Human Biology with two minors in Spanish and Nutrition. She studied in Barcelona during Spring 2023 at SIS + UPF. Out of the countless number of amazing things to do in Barcelona, Mallory would recommend exploring as many city rooftops as you can to embrace the breathtaking sunsets of the city, especially with the stunning architecture as the skyline. A little known fact about her is that she was a competitive dancer growing up and she was also in a Walmart commercial! Mallory felt that her experience in Barcelona was unique because she came into it on her own, not knowing anyone else which put herself outside of her comfort zone. Mallory truly had to navigate her own way through the experience and make a city that was thousands of miles from NC feel like her new home.