Hola todos! This past weekend I had an incredible experience that I’ll never forget. My friends and I went to Morocco! We went on a guided tour with CityLife Madrid, a company that visited our group during EUSA’s orientation. We were led by the enigmatic Adam, whose boundless energy made the trip even more magical. The trip was largely a road trip throughout Morocco, and our driver Omar had a calm and welcoming presence (and countless cool hats). We began our journey in Marrakech, which was both enchanting and overwhelming as it’s flooded with people trying relentlessly to sell things to tourists. The next day we visited Ait Ben Haddou, a historic fortified city where tons of famous movies have been filmed. Then, we went to the Sahara, where we rode camels and ATVs! Throughout these moments I simply felt awed. I already feel so lucky to spend so much time in Europe this summer, and to experience a bit of Africa too was something I did not expect but cherish more than I can put to words. It was very special sharing this experience with my EUSA friends, who I’ve gotten very close with over the past month or so.

When reflecting on my previous experiences with leadership, my mind immediately jumps to times I’ve held a formal leadership role. In positions such as Student Government President, chairing a Student Government committee, and serving as an RA, I’ve served as a facilitator, organizer and mentor since these were intrinsic parts of my role. I was placed in a position where others looked up to me and I have enjoyed how I’ve been able to grow into these roles. However, while interning abroad I am confronted with a very different style of leadership. Without an official title as a leader, and with a pretty unclear definition as to my title in general, I have being a leader simply by taking initiative. For example, on my first day in my internship, I attended a workshop with my coworkers in Brussels to discuss our plans for my organization’s upcoming advocacy campaign. We were split into groups to design a potential layout for our campaign website. My group and I began talking, but I realized that my coworkers were talking about the campaign in an abstract manner and were not focused on the task at hand. They were also commenting on their lack of experience designing websites, and this lack of confidence likely contributed to them circling around the task. Meanwhile, the other group was starting to put pen to paper. Even though it was my first day, I had to quickly get over any remaining impostor syndrome and organize my group into action. I started talking through my ideas, letting my coworkers contribute and question, and writing them down once my coworkers affirmed they were in agreement. I then shared out with the entire team on behalf of my group when the exercise was over. What was interesting is that I also have zero experience designing websites from scratch! But being a leader sometimes means being the one to muster up some confidence, at least enough to produce something. Overall this experience has made me a better leader by reinforcing my belief that you don’t need an official leadership position to be a leader; you just have to step up and take initiative, and all this requires is confidence and energy (things within my control).

Something else that has expanded my understanding of leadership has been the very personal style of professional relationships in Spain. I’ve often found myself interacting with coworkers in a professional setting that seems to turn into a personal one. For example, I met up with the media consultant my organization is partnering with to film content for an upcoming campaign intro reel in Parque de Retiro. We walked around the park to record me speaking for the video, and when we had gotten the footage we needed, she suggested we sit and have a coffee or ice cream. We both got smoothies and chatted about everything from her journey to Madrid from Argentina (which involved a visit that extended one year because she fell in love) to Zohran Mamdani to the importance of being passionate about your job. Getting to know this coworker on a more personal level was genuinely fun, but also helped me be more of an asset to my team. Since she’s an external consultant, many of my other coworkers don’t know her as well, but I now have a closer connection with her that has allowed me to serve as a liaison with her. I’ve been able to take the lead on communicating with her, facilitating check-ins to share feedback on social media materials or hear her thoughts on our timeline. This experience has reminded me that building personal connections is very valuable in the workplace, as it builds trust and makes communication much easier. This is something I haven’t been as accustomed to in the US, but even in a culture where talking about personal lives with coworkers early on is not the norm, this lesson is still very applicable. Additionally, having personal connections with others can help you become a natural leader.