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Author: Mackenzie Mollner | Major: Economics, International Studies | Semester: January 2023 Intersession
This January, I had the opportunity to participate in the Faculty Led: Global Changemakers in Barcelona Program led by Dr. Laurence Hare and Dr. Rogelio Contreras. We spent two weeks exploring Barcelona and the autonomous community of Catalonia, including day trips to Girona, Tarragona, and Figures.
The first week, we had the opportunity to explore and visit the cultural sights of Barcelona. The moment that stuck out the most to me was the Cavalcada de Reis, or the Three King’s Parade. The night before the Epiphany on January 6th, I and other members of my group followed the crowds of people to witness this parade that stretched from the city center to the ports. As the parade winded through the city, kids of all ages offered up letters to be sent to the Three Kings before they visited their homes with presents that night. This was an incredible opportunity both to bond with the people in my program but also to be exposed to new traditions. Through the magnificent architecture, from Antoni Gaudí to Lluís Domènech i Muntaner, and the amazing food, from fideuá to xuixos, it became clear that Barcelona is truly a pillar of Catalan identity. Since the turn of the 20th century this city has faced increasingly outwards, with this being solidified by the 1982 Olympics. This rapid global integration presents a challenge to the region. The challenge of balancing the old with the new, tradition with modernity, the autonomous region with the state, and the local with the local. In the face of this, the region has been called to produce innovative ways of facing economic, political, and social issues.
Our course began at the intersection of the long history of the region and its current problems, a place that many social businesses occupy. During our time there, we met with various local partners. These partners included driven entrepreneurs and longstanding social businesses who have had experience navigating the unique challenges that these enterprises face. For our first visit, we took a bus to visit La Fageda, a regional yogurt company. La Fageda was founded by Cristobol Colón in 1982 as a cooperative to provide employment to those who are typically excluded from the workforce. This experience helped to reshape my perspective of business; it is not just up to the non-profit sector to prioritize their social and environmental impact. La Fageda proves that businesses can pioneer a way to be both profitable and mindful. During the rest of our business visits, this model proved to hold true. This experience served as a reminder to me that there is never just one path forward. There is not just one “right” way to gain an education or conduct business, rather we must be in conversations with different perspectives and ideas to choose one of the many “right” ways.
The two-week intersession is a fantastic way to get the study abroad experience without having to commit an entire semester or summer. I would highly recommend the January Intersession Global Changemakers program to anyone looking to gain international, interdisciplinary experiences. For anyone planning to study abroad, it is absolutely necessary to go in with an open mind. You never know what new ideas or experiences will change the way that you view yourself or the world around you.