Alumni Stories

Anna '26 studied abroad in spring 2024 with the Semester in Spain program. Anna writes below about her summer internship experience following her semester abroad.

"I [interned] at a newspaper in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and wrote two articles about the Latino population in Pittsburgh bringing economic development and vibrance. I was asked to talk more about my experience on Las Palmas Radio station, the first Spanish-speaking radio station in my city! It’s been amazing to use the Spanish I learned in Sevilla to conduct interviews in Spanish for my town’s newspaper.

Interviewing people in their heart language adds a layer of trust and familiarity. Being interviewed can be stressful on its own, but answering questions in a second or third language can make things even more uncomfortable. I was able to have conversations with people I otherwise would not have been able to, whether because of an English language level, or simply because they felt more comfortable sharing vulnerable parts of their story in Spanish. As a reporter, my goal is to make people feel as welcome as possible during their interview, and being able to offer an interview in Spanish is one more way to do that."

Click below to read some of Anna's articles:

TribLIVE | Rising Latino population drives economic growth in Western Pennsylvania

TribLIVE | Faces of resilience: There is no 'typical' Latino immigrant story