Student Spotlight -- Emily McAuliffe

Interviewed by Natasha Arora, Sinead Hultman and Brittany Barnes

Public relations senior Emily McAuliffe says studying abroad in Spain last semester gave her a chance to fully immerse herself in another culture, develop her Spanish and appreciate the nuances of communication that can make all the difference in public relations.

Why did you pick Spain as your destination to study abroad?

My main goal was to become fluent in Spanish and experience another country's culture for a long period of time. I was thrown into a living situation where my host family knew no English and I was forced to communicate solely in Spanish. I was taken out of my comfort zone and put in a totally unfamiliar situation in which I was able to learn and grow.

How did the experience in Spain affect your public relations skills?

I had to learn how to communicate in a completely different way, which showed me the true meaning of words, and how significant word choice was when conversing with people of different nationalities. I never knew how important non-verbal communication was for expressing myself, and this experience has truly shown me how to communicate globally.

Would you recommend people to study abroad and why?

Public relations puts you in a lot of positions that make you think on your feet without offending anyone, and studying abroad is a similar situation. In Spain, I was forced to make quick decisions on my word choice in order to come across as clear as possible. I truly think that this would be useful for anyone wanting to work in public relations, or any field of communication, and for anyone who just wants to try something new.