by Alberto Valverde M.

                                                     

Student Snapshot: Clara Laliena at a Glance Home Country: Spain Current Studies: Degree in Pedagogy in Spain | Erasmus+ student at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Arrival: Spring Semester 2026  Languages Spoken: Spanish and English Career Outlook: Build a future in education while integrating international perspectives into her teaching approach Fun Fact: Her semester in Milan began with a 3 a.m. departure and a four-hour drive to Barcelona Passion: Education, cultural exchange, and making the most of every opportunity

 

At three o'clock in the morning, while most of her hometown, in Northern Spain near Zaragoza, was still asleep, Clara Laliena was already on the road to Barcelona. Her flight plans had changed unexpectedly, and her study abroad experience at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore had begun earlier than she expected. 

Originally scheduled to fly at 10 a.m., Clara discovered the day before departure that there was an issue with her booking. Instead of a calm send-off, she left home in the middle of the night, drove four hours to Barcelona, and boarded a one-and-a-half-hour flight to Milan. It was an exhausting start, but also an early reminder that studying abroad is a continuous learning experience. 

Her plan to pursue an Erasmus+ semester at Università Cattolica had been forming for a while. It was deeply rooted in the idea of making the most of every opportunity, advice taken directly from her close relatives. 

"My family played a big role," Clara explains. "They always told me that studying abroad is a big experience, something they never had the chance to do. They said it was something I might regret if I didn’t try." That perspective became a guiding principle for her; the fear of a missed opportunity outweighed the nerves of moving to a new country. "That stayed with me," she adds, noting how those words pushed her to finally submit her application to Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. 

Since arriving in Italy, Clara has found that the stress of her travel day was quickly replaced by a sense of community. Settling into her residence, she was immediately surrounded by an international environment. "In the residence and at the University there are many students from all over the world," she says. 

One of her strongest first impressions was the Università Cattolica’s Orientation Day. “Everyone was so nice,” she recalls. “They gave me a lot of useful information. It made me feel comfortable.” In the uncertainty of arriving in a new country, that sense of structure mattered. 

Academically, Clara is maintaining a clear focus on her professional future. In Spain, she was pursuing a degree in pedagogy with the goal of becoming an educator. At Università Cattolica, she is continuing this trajectory within the field of human sciences. By studying these subjects in an international context, she can observe how distinct cultures approach education and social development. 

Beyond her studies, Clara brings a specific cultural strength to the Università Cattolica campus: the famous Spanish sociability. She believes that her background has been her greatest tool in navigating a new environment. "I think that we are very open," Clara says proudly of her heritage. "We find it easy to talk to other people, and that helps a lot when you’re in a new place." 

Clara’s Erasmus+ semester did not begin with a dramatic turning point. It began with an early alarm, a dark highway to Barcelona, and a decision she had made long before: take the opportunity now, rather than regret it later.