¡Hola a todos! In 24 hours I will be on my flight to Madrid for the summer…I can’t wait!
A little bit about myself: My name is Rachel Smookler, and I just finished my Sophomore year at Pitt. I am majoring in Business Analytics and Accounting with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in International Business. I’m from Wilmington, DE (also 30 mins outside of Philly, just like everyone else), and am so excited to spend this summer somewhere a little different. At Pitt, I am involved in the Student Government Board, Phi Beta Lambda, and League of Emerging Analytics Professionals. Outside of school, I love to spend my free time reading, thrifting, listening to music/going to see live music, thrifting, hanging out with my friends, and doing anything outside—running, hiking, etc. I cannot wait to do all of this while experiencing a new city!
I am participating in the International Internship Program in Madrid, Spain, this June and July. In this program, I have the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Spanish language, culture, and workplace by living with a host family and working in an internship. Though I have taken Spanish classes throughout high school and college, I feel that the only way to fully advance my language skills is by being immersed abroad, one of the main reasons why I sought out this program, and a goal of mine is to be fluent—or close to fluent—by the end of this program.
Additionally, this program will allow me to gain professional experience as an accounting/finance intern at Mykolayiv Kmit y Asociados, an immigration law office specialized in helping immigrants traveling from Ukraine to Spain. I am excited to gain real-world accounting experience and build an international professional network that will help me in my future career. Additionally, I am grateful to be part of this firm’s incredible work in helping people to successfully settle into work and life in Madrid.
I have never been abroad before, much less travelled and lived internationally on my own, so this experience will be both incredibly exciting and challenging for me. I want to soak in every moment of my experience in Madrid by making strong connections with my host family, coworkers, and peers in my program, trying new foods, seeing new places—like Barcelona, Seville, and Lisbon, and shopping for clothes and souvenirs at El Rastro.
I’m signing off because it is time to finish packing and rest up before my trip! ¡Hablamos luego!
Un abrazo,
Rachel 💌
