In this episode of The S Word, McCallum class of 2022 graduate Anna McClellan reflects on her study abroad semester in Seville, Spain. McClellan never imagined that she would be spending her first three and a half months of college halfway across the world. But when her dream school, The College of William & Mary, deferred her admission and gave her the opportunity to spend a semester abroad with Verto Education, McClellan knew it was a sign. Now, she can’t imagine starting college any other way.

“At first, I was a little bit hesitant because I was like, ‘I’m not going to have that same normal start to college that a lot of my friends are going to have,’” McClellan said. “But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’ve never done anything super duper normally.”

McClellan took classes in English through the University of Seville and Verto Education. In her spare time, she returned to her Mac Soccer roots, this time as a soccer coach for young girls in a bilingual program called FutboLISTAS.

After a semester cruising the streets of Seville, riding camels in Morocco and partying by the Leaning Tower of Piza, McClellan has found new purpose in life.

“The language, the schedules, the lifestyle, it’s so different,” McClellan said. “I think it made me realize that I don’t want to be living a stressful, crazy, hectic life. I want to be living a life that makes me happy.”

McClellan knows that her story in Spain is far from over. She has enrolled in a Spanish course at The College of William & Mary and is considering pursuing a Hispanic Studies minor. She hopes to spend a few years in Seville after college. As McClellan begins the next phase of her college adventure, a little piece of Spain will be in her heart… and in her ear.

“Sometimes I actually have to pinch myself to make sure it did happen,” McClellan said. “I mean, I have the ear piercings now to prove it. It feels like a dream, one of the most crazy, amazing, chaotic, scary, everything dreams that you could have.”

McClellan encourages any students who are considering studying abroad or a gap year to go for it. 

“Go take that leap of faith, like take that jump into the unknown and just go for it because you’re going to make memories you will never forget, and you’re going to make friendships you’ll never forget,” McClellan said. “It’s truly the experience of a lifetime. Knowing that this was the right path for me and that I had people behind me who supported me in taking this leap, it just made it so much easier to say yes.”