Currently, we have two alumni from the Class of 2019 studying abroad in Spain. Thankfully, they have been able to meet up together one weekend in Barcelona to take a break from all their studies and travels while in Europe. Read their stories below 
Blake Steed ‘19 is a junior at The University of Alabama majoring in Business Administration in the Honors College. He is living with a host family in Seville, Spain while studying business and Spanish at Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Blake’s program ends May 18th, but he plans to continue traveling afterwards until returning to Alabama for his younger brother Grant’s graduation from Donoho at the end of May. To learn more about his Study Abroad Program, click here: https://bit.ly/35Vkaa5 Blake says, “I have always dreamed of studying abroad and immersing myself in a different culture. Traveling to Italy for Intersession my senior year at Donoho only furthered my interest. I’ve already gotten to do some really fun things including jumping off waterfalls under Puente Nuevo in Ronda, skiing in the Swiss Alps, and hiking around the Matterhorn. The trip I’m most excited about is my Spring Break, during which I’ll camp out and ride camels in the Sahara Desert and then plane to Athens, Greece where I’ll island hop for the rest of the week. I’m so thankful for my family’s support, as this entire experience has been a dream come true for me.”
Rhett Rigsby ‘19 is a junior at The University of Alabama and is majoring in Business Management with a minor in International Business. He is living in Barcelona until the end of April and is taking classes through a hybrid program. This means that half of his classes are taken through CEA Study Abroad – Barcelona, at their campus (which is more of a rented section in an office building than a full-scale campus) on Plaça Catalunya, and the other half of his classes are taken at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona‘s (UAB) Sant Pau campus. At CEA his classes are only with other Americans but at UAB he has classes with German, Belgian, French, Tanzanian, and Swedish students which he says has been a really cool experience. To learn more about the CEA Study Abroad Program, click here: https://bit.ly/3ITubDlRhett says, “I’ve known since high school that I wanted to study abroad at some point. To me it’s so interesting to meet different people and just be exposed to other ways of living. The COVID restrictions made it impossible when I was in my lower years at UA. But when things started to open back up, I knew I wanted to see if the opportunity was still available, and sure enough it was.”
What a great experience for you both! We are so excited for you and pray for your safety while overseas. Enjoy your time in Spain and beyond. We will see you when you return home.
