Leah is studying her Bachelor’s degree in Informatics and Spanish in the USA. At her university, she is involved in a number of community activities. She is a Spanish tutor, where she helps other students with their Spanish. She came to Valencia with a group of students from her university for a four week intensive Study Abroad Program with Euroace. Her specific program included intensive Spanish classes, classes about the history of Valencia, along with an internship related to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.

What did you like most about Valencia?

I like Valencia a lot,  the people are very nice and friendly, even though sometimes it is challenging to understand the different accents, they are always ready to help. The city is calm and relaxed, but still very diverse and with a lot of things going on.

Can you tell us more about your experience living with a host family?

I really enjoyed the stay with my host family. I stayed with an older couple, they had an adult son who lived away from home but I heard a lot of stories about him. My host mom cooked delicious food, and she was very understanding and absolutely adapted to my diet and lactose intolerance. I had the flu for one week during my stay and she was very supportive, explaining things about pharmacies, she was ready to take care of me.

Do you see an improvement in your Spanish skills after the 4 weeks of intensive classes with Euroace?

Yes, definitely. The classes I take back home put a focus on grammar and literature, but not so much on actually speaking the language. In Valencia, I started speaking Spanish much more confidently. The classes, combined with my exposure to the Spanish culture, helped me to be able to understand the different accents and to speak the Spanish that is spoken in real life.

Can you tell us a bit more about your internship experience and how it helped you in regard to your future career?

In my internship, I focused on learning more about Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and predictive modeling. At first, I was doing research and self-study on the topic with the help of my supervisor, then I got to work on a specific project applying real-life data to the specific models I was researching. The internship was very useful for me to figure out which direction I’d like to go in my future career.

What extra activities did you take part in?

I went to the English-Spanish Language exchange once a week in a local pub. I joined the excursions to Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, and a few local towns in the Valencian Region – Peñíscola and Xátiva. I realized that even though Spain is not such a big country, there is a lot of diversity. All these towns and cities are quite different in style, and they have preserved their rich history very well. I liked the mixture of modern and ancient architecture in the big cities, and the authentic style of the small towns that we visited, especially Xátiva.

Would you recommend Euroace to other students looking to take some time off to come to Spain to study Spanish or to do an internship program?

Yes, I would definitely recommend Euroace! I liked the flexibility in terms of the duration of the program that is offered to students. I could take just a month away from my studies, and I could still participate in this Study Abroad Program. Besides, there are a lot of events and excursions organized throughout Spain in the evenings and over weekends. The Euroace team is very friendly and ready to help in any situation.

Check out more student interviews here if you’re curious about what it’s like to join our programs!