A day in the life of a Trinity intern in Madrid: Learn a skill, learn a language ... then learn what President Beasley's favorite work is at the Prado.
This summer, Trinity President Vanessa Beasley, Ph.D., joined the cohort of students in the Madrid Summer Internship Program to immerse fully in the summer study abroad experience.
Launched in 2005, Trinity’s Madrid Summer Internship Program invites students seeking degrees in Spanish, international studies, business administration, or economics to travel to Spain’s capital, Madrid. There, they spend six weeks interning at a Spanish company and taking a course taught by Trinity faculty while living with a host family. These courses—which cover topics such as the European Union; the Spanish economy; the Spanish financial crisis; and Spanish history, art, and culture—allow Trinity students to learn about the culture of Spain as they live within it.
President Vanessa Beasley, Ph.D., traveled with students in the Madrid Summer Internship Program to sites throughout the city.
"Engaging with different cultures is a vital and powerful aspect of a liberal arts education," President Beasley says. "This course offers a hands-on and immersive internship experience as well as emphasizes the value of our willingness to stop, stand in awe, and breathe in the different kinds of beauty that can actually bring us closer together."
In the program, students develop their professional skills through an internship where they are challenged to speak Spanish only. "This summer in Madrid has been by far the best experience I’ve had at Trinity," says Dario Leal '25, a political science and economics major and philosophy minor. Dario worked at a hotel company, where he learned about problem-solving and gained firsthand insight into how a large company manages its finances.
After work? Dario and the other students in the program sat down and shared a meal and their experiences both abroad and at Trinity with President Beasley.
"As always, President Beasley was very accessible and eager to learn about our experiences," Dario says. "We had the opportunity to have lunch and dinner with her, and we had casual dinner table conversations as well as a Q&A session about the University."
The Madrid Summer Internship Program was just one of nine faculty-led study abroad programs that took place around the world this summer.
Like all Trinity study abroad courses, the Trinity Japan Program offers a flexible but rigorous curriculum featuring a wide range of interdisciplinary programs and special opportunities that make our students better informed global citizens. For six weeks during the summer, students travel across Japan, learning about Japanese society and politics through complementary courses while experiencing Japanese culture through its cuisine, pop culture, traditions, and … sawdust?
Megan Mustain, Ph.D., University provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, poses for a group photo at the Shokodo woodworking warehouse with students in the Trinity Japan Program.
No, sawdust isn't typically what you'd imagine being one of your favorite souvenirs from a study abroad program. Yet, during this summer's Trinity Japan Program, students and faculty were surrounded by culture and art they didn't typically imagine—and Trinity University Provost Megan Mustain was right beside them.
At Shokodo in Kyoto, Japan, Trinity students and faculty met with miyadaiku (宮大工), woodworking artists who practice the construction of Japanese shrines and temples and are renowned for their use of elaborate wooden joints. The buildings they construct are frequently found among the world's longest-surviving wooden structures.
Provost Mustain (right) joined the students for a woodworking workshop at Shokodo in Kyoto, Japan.
"Getting a detailed look into a technical artform so different than the ones we see every day, that's what makes an experience like the Trinity Japan Program so special," says Provost Mustain, who is an artistic woodworker herself. "In fact, it's the perfect representation of why we encourage international engagement in the first place: We immerse our hands and minds in something new, and then we pause to reflect on how each intricate detail helps tell our world's story."
From walking at the Fushimi Inari Taisha to reflecting at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial to climbing the Tokyo Skytree to attending a Takarazuka show to simply staying with their host family, this program exposed students to all sorts of learning opportunities.
"My time in Japan remained characterized by contrasting experiences, the familiar and the unfamiliar," says Zsa Zsa Dubose ’25, a business analytics and technology major and theatre minor. "Back home, small tasks like going to the bank and grocery shopping can be absolutely terrifying. After navigating subways, buses, taxis, ferries, and planes on my own in another continent, I've learned to trust my abilities."
And much like the students on the Madrid Trip, Zsa Zsa was delighted by the fact that a leader from her university stopped in to travel alongside her.
"Her visit was a great opportunity to speak with someone from the University's administration. We got to joke with her and get to know her on a personal level which made it easier to share our thoughts on the program with her," Zsa Zsa says.
Through their visits, President Beasley and Provost Mustain showed their support for students as they do what all Trinity students do best, learn through their experiences. The best way to understand the impact of hands-on learning is to see it firsthand.
Check out these day-in-the-life videos from students on both the Madrid and Japan trips to explore with our Tigers:
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