One of the main draws for me to attend UMass was the presence of the Catalan program within the Spanish and Portuguese program. Having lived in Catalunya for 2 years, I grew to love the language and wanted to pursue whatever degree options there were within the US. This brought me to UMass.

During the Spring 2020 semester, I had the opportunity to take an independent study with Albert Lloret with a focus on Catalan diplomacy of the past, present, and future. Going into the class, I was under the impression that I would continue my studies and pursue a JD and work within a legal context of immigration and human rights. After studying about Catalan diplomacy, I figured out that I really liked diplomatic topics and the prospect of working in diplomacy. In working with Professor Lloret, we looked at topics such as public diplomacy, wars that gave Catalan land possession, and successions that influenced sovereignty claims. Overall, the holistic approach to understanding why Spain and Catalunya both have acted, currently act, and will likely act gave me an appreciation for how international actors influence each others’ actions.