Hi Everyone!
My name is Colin Speitel, and I am a rising junior pursuing a double major in Marketing and Global Management with a minor in Spanish. I leave for Madrid in less than a week for the International Internship Program (IIP Madrid). I’m super excited to share my time in Madrid through these blog posts and get the opportunity to reflect on my experiences abroad during my two months in Spain.
A little bit of background about me, I came into my freshman year at Pitt undecided knowing that I wanted to be a minor in Spanish. At the end of my freshman year I decided I wanted to apply to the business school to major in Marketing. After meeting with my advisor I realized I had space in my schedule to pursue a second major which had always been of interest to me. Initially Global Management stuck out to me, it combines my love for Spanish and Marketing while giving me an understanding of business in the international space.
My advisor recommended the IIP Madrid program to me as an opportunity to study abroad, something I have dreamed about since my first Spanish class in 7th grade. I have a lifelong goal of becoming fluent in Spanish and the IIP Madrid allows me to work towards my goal of fluency. I selected this program due to these reasons but with the overall goal that this opportunity will leverage my experience in international business, the field I hope to one day work in.
On campus I’m involved in Phi Beta Lambda, Blue and Gold Society, Spanish Club, and Running club. I’m also a Saxbys brand ambassador where I create content for both my personal accounts and Saxbys verified social media accounts. This upcoming semester I will be serving as a BUS10 Teaching Assistant, where I will teach an introductory business school class to 20 first year students. Outside of school I enjoy running, cooking, reading, and spending time with my friends and family.
I have a few goals for this program, my first goal is to continue to enhance my Spanish and work towards my goal of fluency. My internship being in Spanish and living with a host family will help enhance my skills in Spanish and work towards my desired fluency. My other goal is to gain competency in an international business setting. I will be working for a company called Nodis Homes, a student housing company, as a marketing and communications intern. I hope this internship will allow me to gain skills in relation to marketing, international business, while improving my skill set in Spanish.
Overall, I’m super excited for the opportunities this program has to offer me. While also giving me the ability to study abroad in a foreign country. This will be my first time out of the United States and I’m excited to experience the culture of Spain through museums, exploring the city and most importantly the food. I’m also excited for the opportunity to live with a host family and the culture I will gain from their family while also getting some home cooked cuisine (if you cant tell im a bit of a foodie).
I leave in less than a week and couldn’t be more excited for what this program has in store for me. Like anything it will not be easy and there will be bumps in the road, but in the end I’m excited to see the personal and professional growth that this program will offer me.
Stay tuned to my blog for updates on my adventures in Madrid.