In Their Shoes

Atlanta-born Justin Morgan is pursuing the Bachelor in International Relations. His reasons for choosing the program align very much with IE University’s own values: he was looking for diversity. The program itself includes everything Justin is interested in. A fusion of culture, political science and philosophy, he describes it as a perfect fit. But to Justin, the wider experience of university life was just as important to him as the academic offering. In this podcast, Justin tells us how the difference between the IE University experience and life in a typical American university was a major draw for him. Wanting to study with, and learn from, people with very different viewpoints to his own, he tells us he has found a whole new community in Segovia and taken himself out of what he calls the American “bubble.” Hear him describe his delight in the enhanced educational experience that such diversity offers, his appreciation for the age and beauty of the Segovia campus, his interest in the wider community and the relationships he has formed with classmates and tutors alike.

A native of the United States with Italian and Venezuelan heritage, Federica Caso has lived in some very different places around the world and has assimilated into many different cultures. Federica was drawn to art and architecture from a young age. While her parents were both lawyers, her family loved art, and it rubbed off on her. Artistic from the start, as a child she created structures from any materials she could find and was fascinated by the plans her grandfather, an architect, showed her. The possibilities in those plans, and the process of them transforming into our living spaces, hooked her. It’s fitting, then, that Federica is studying the Bachelor in Design. In this podcast, she explains that she was looking for the most diverse university possible, with the broadest offering. She explains how the business insights that are part of the IE University mindset are not common in art programs, and the diverse fields addressed by the program made it stand out when she researched where to study.

Beyzanur Inal knows what it means to have to move away to find peace, stability and a new home. Fleeing political turbulence in her native Turkey and later Senegal, she has made a home in Spain and is studying the Dual Degree in Business Administration and Laws. Given her background, it’s no surprise that Beyzanur chose the program, as she longs to contribute to a fairer and more peaceful world. She believes she can make a positive impact on society while simultaneously opening new doors for her professional development. Aware of the impact business has on life and society, she chose both IE University and her program as it met both criteria. In this episode, Beyzanur explains how a full scholarship from the IE Foundation is enabling her to fulfill her academic ambitions and giving her the freedom to make a positive impact even while she studies. A volunteer with both Casa Turca and the UNHCR refugee agency, she’s already carving out her own path, putting the leadership skills she’s learning into practice to help others.