July 21, 2017 – Because Spain’s ruling monarch, King Felipe VI, earned a master’s degree at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, many high-achieving Spanish students aspire to follow in his footsteps. However, for many of those students, the dream of a Georgetown education seems unattainable. That’s why a network of philanthropic partners with ties to Spain recently established a scholarship for Spanish undergraduates with demonstrated financial need.

«It is important to us that talented students living in Spain have the opportunity to attend Georgetown University, where they can enrich classroom conversations with their unique perspectives,» shares Ana Kreisler (C’85), executive director of the foundation. «My Georgetown undergraduate years made me the person I am today.»

Raising Awareness, Funds
The Spanish expression «crear conciencia» means to raise awareness—and that has been the mission of the Georgetown Spain Foundation since it was established in 2014. Besides developing a network of philanthropic donors in Spain whose goal is to create scholarship opportunities for residents of Spain to study at Georgetown, the foundation also promotes the university at Spanish schools and organizations.

The foundation’s distinguished group of Spanish leaders includes José Manuel Lladó (B’86), president of the foundation; Ana Kreisler (C’85), executive director of the foundation; Rosemary Blake (MA’83), president of the Georgetown Club of Spain, Juan Lladó (B’84, Parent’17,’20), and Bill (F’80) and Mercedes Connelly (Parents’13,’17).

«We believe that providing scholarship support to today’s best and brightest students enables us to better engage our values and our world,» adds Kreisler, «so we are working on outreach events in Spanish schools as well as additional fundraising.»

Continuing Commitment
In addition to its active alumni club in Madrid, Georgetown works in close partnership with ESADE, a private Jesuit institution in Barcelona. ESADE’s law and business schools host Georgetown students for exchanges and study abroad experiences that broaden and deepen their understanding of global trends and policies.

Undergraduates from Spain who study at Georgetown find internship and employment opportunities throughout the world.

Georgetown MBA students visit the coastal town of Sitges in Spain’s Catalonia Region