Brianna Boone is a senior Journalism and Spanish double major, who took advantage of studying abroad in the Oviedo Program during the spring 2023 semester. Read about her experience in Oviedo and how this program impacted her! 

Hello! My name is Brianna Boone and I am a senior Journalism and Spanish double major. Studying in Oviedo was not just a choice of convenience to finish my second major on time, but a way for me to experience a whole new world that would've never been able to otherwise. I knew studying abroad would help me gain confidence in my Spanish-speaking abilities, because despite being a heritage speaker, I lacked the confidence to really immerse myself in the language. I chose to go abroad because I felt that being fully immersed in the Spanish language and culture of Spain would allow me to gain both the language and life experience I was yearning for. The program was the best opportunity for me to travel and explore different parts of Spain and Europe, seeing history and art through a lens I never had before. Going to places like Seville, Segovia, Porto, and Pamplona, were just some of the highlights of my time abroad. 

While studying at the University of Oviedo, I got to make so many new international friends, joining them for dinners, nights out, and the famous "Tapas Tuesdays". The Oviedo program does an amazing job of having students gain a well-rounded experience through the balance of guided group activities and excursions, balanced with a lot of leisure and freedom to pick your adventure from week to week. Going into the program, I knew I was going to be able to visit bigger cities like Rome, London, and Paris, but I never expected to find so many pockets of history and culture in the other parts of Spain that we were exposed to. I also would've never expected to build such a close relationship with my host family, really leaning on them for emotional support on the harder days.

There is nothing I would change or redo about my experience in Oviedo, for it was a time of self-growth and discovery, new places, new faces, and memories to last a lifetime.