Each spring semester, the DU Spain program sends a group of students and a faculty-in-residence to study abroad at the University in Spain. Next year, the faculty-in-residence will be Jennifer Wilson, a magazine and brand media professor. She will be teaching a travel journalism class.
“We’ll be using Seville as a classroom and a kitchen and a communal table,” Wilson said. “What I mean by that is we’ll be eating and drinking and learning the origins of culture and tradition and foods in Spain and in Seville in particular.”
Wilson said Seville has lots to explore. Flamenco dancing and tapas, Spanish appetizers, originated in Seville. It is also home to Europe’s oldest royal palace, the Alázar of Seville, which is still in use.
“Travel writing will have its own field trips that include local markets, olive oil production, wine making, behind the scenes of flamenco performances, things like that,” Wilson said.
Wilson said those field trips aren’t set in stone yet. However, DU Spain includes trips to Morocco and Portugal, as well as to Granada and Córdoba, two other cities in Spain.
Even so, Wilson said there will be plenty to learn just within Seville itself.
“Seville is a … crossroads for so many cultures. It is a real melting pot of cultural experiences,” Wilson said. “You see it in the architecture, in the food. You see Christianity, Islam, Judaism, all reflected in the city structure itself and how those religions and traditions have found a way to coexist peacefully is a real lesson to live.”
Junior Lainey Arrol is currently abroad in Seville as a part of this year’s DU Spain.
She said she has no regrets about joining the program and that she could actually have done a year abroad instead of just one semester. She was sad to think she’d come home on May 8.
“I’m going to miss the nature of [Seville],” Arrol said. “The weather and the architecture and how nice it is too. Small things like that because I feel like those are the things that you don’t [experience] when you’re a tourist.”
Arrol said she also really enjoyed the various cultural festivities in Seville.
“We just had the biggest festival of April called [Feria de Abril],” Arrol said. “You see all these people wearing flamenco dresses with the shawls and the flowers in their hair, and there’s horse-drawn carriages on every street, and you’re just like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this real?’”
First-year Eleanor Muiznieks has committed to DU Spain for spring 2027.
“I really love learning about new cultures and exploring cultural differences between societies,” Muiznieks said. “While I’m going abroad to study, I’m also really excited to just be in a completely new, unfamiliar environment. It’s a little bit scary, but I think I can really learn from that and mature from that.”
Education Abroad Coordinator Emily Erschen said students interested in DU Spain in 2027 should schedule a meeting with study abroad advising through Starfish. Students can also learn more about DU Spain through Drake’s travel abroad portal.
Erschen said finances are a concern for most students, but they don’t have to be. Drake offers over $200,000 in global learning scholarships each year.
One general prompted essay is all that’s required to apply for most of the scholarships, aside from the Levin Scholarship. It’s a full-ride scholarship with the goal of promoting understanding between different faiths and requires writing a different prompted essay.
Applications for DU Spain are open until Sept. 15.
