Hey everybody!

My name is Jesse Quiroga, and I am a rising senior studying Marketing and Spanish here at Pitt. In addition to this, I am also on the dance team, which keeps me very busy throughout the semester.

I would describe myself as very adventurous, people-oriented, and hungry for travel. I believe that my passion for travel stems from my childhood, and how much I moved around during it. My parents are from Mexico, and despite me growing up in the United States, in attempt to keep the culture rich in my life, I always traveled back and forth between the two countries. My parents stressed to me from a young age that being culturally proficient should, and needs to be, a priority in my life. That being said, I knew from the start of my academic career at Pitt that I wanted to study abroad. This directly ties in with my dream job of international business relations.

I hope to one day have a job that allows me to explore the world, meet new people, and work in my intended field of marketing, and I believe that the IIP Madrid program will prepare me for just that. Growing up with Spanish as my first language, I always dreamed of moving to a Spanish-speaking country post-grad. For a bit of time I had my heart set on Mexico, but through Pitt I have met so many Latinx people and have decided to explore these countries on my own before making a decision. I believe that my time in Madrid will teach me the cultural differences between the Latino nations, and allow me to explore a potential new home for myself. I hope (and I know) that this experience will put me out of my comfort zone and allow me to gain new personal skills that I’ll keep for the rest of my life.

My excitement for this trip grows every minute, and I cannot wait for what my future in Madrid holds for me. I also cannot wait to meet everybody as we all embark on this journey together!

See you all very soon,

Jesse Quiroga