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Program Overview
Program Overview
What's Included
Support & Funding
U.S. Team
Shannon Diegel
Interim Program Manager, Spain
Shannon, who has a Master’s Degree in International Education, loves helping students expand their horizons by studying abroad. Shannon studied abroad herself while attending Loyola University Chicago, and enjoyed the experience so much that she later moved to Bangkok to teach English. She currently lives in Chicago and when she isn’t travelling, she is on a quest to make the world’s best chocolate chip cookie!
BARCELONA TEAM
Manuel Urí Martín
Resident Director, Spain
Manuel Urí Martín
Resident Director
Born and raised in Madrid, Manuel Urí Martín studied at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where he received his doctorate in Spanish Philology. He has taught as a professor at the Université Stendhal in Grenoble, France; at Carleton University in Canada and also at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Santander, the Canary Islands and Seville. Manuel started working at ISA in 2008 and has been the ISA Resident Director in both Madrid and Barcelona during this time. His extensive work experience, passionate personality and sincere desire that each one of his students enjoy studying abroad, undoubtedly make him a great member of the ISA team. Manuel and the rest of the ISA Barcelona staff are dedicated to making your experience in Spain an excellent one.
Cristina Canales Contador
Senior Cultural Activities Coordinator, Spain
Cristina Canales Contador
Senior Cultural Activities Coordinator
Cristina was born in Barcelona and graduated from the University of Barcelona with a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Management. Cristina has been working in ISA for more than 9 years, she is very passionate about her work as she enjoys helping students have the richest experience possible. In addition, Cristina speaks Catalan, Spanish, English, and some French. In her free time, Cristina is passionate about Barcelona, its culture and nature, loves to spend time with her friends, traveling and trying food from all around the world! One of her best experiences was to travel to India with his grandfather and doing volunteering service with Fundación Vicente Ferrer, an NGO that works in Anantapur, the poorest area of the country. Traveling abroad has change her life and the way to see the different cultures.
Daniel Ostad
Senior Housing Coordinator, Spain
Daniel Ostad
Senior Housing Coordinator
Daniel grew up in Washington, DC and graduated from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with a degree in Anthropology. He has gained a passion for international education, travel, and cultural understanding through his own adventures throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. As a college student, Daniel studied abroad with ISA in Granada, Spain. Later in 2001, he joined the ISA Granada team then in 2008 he became the Resident Director in ISA Meknes, Morocco until 2017. Since then Daniel has been coordinating housing in Barcelona. On his free time he enjoys biking, snorkeling, skating, hiking and yoga, however surfing is his obsession. When there are no waves you can usually find Daniel relaxing in one of Barcelona’s many outdoor cafes.
Janelle Forster
Senior Student Care Coordinator, Spain
Janelle Forster
Senior Student Care Coordinator
Although originally from southern Idaho, Janelle has spent most of her life living outside of the United States. Her first move abroad was at the age of seven, when her family moved to England and the Netherlands for a year-long sabbatical. Later on, she supplemented her studies with two study abroad programs: the first in Calgary, Canada, to study architecture and then with ISA in Barcelona. Before moving back to Barcelona in 2007, she graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Architecture and a B.A. in Spanish. She found her calling as an ISA director in 2010, and since then has enjoyed managing the Student Care Department. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, dancing, cooking and riding horses, and is always open to new experiences!
Danielle Roberge
Student Care Services, Spain
Danielle Roberge
Student Care Services
Danielle was born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and has lived in various parts of the United States, France and now Spain. She first studied abroad in Paris, France when she was just 15 years old and there she developed a taste for learning new languages and exploring different cultures. Over the years she has participated in many study abroad programs in various countries around the world and has earned a B.A. in International Studies from Maryville College and a M.A. in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute. In 2015, she took a leap of faith and moved to Spain, where she plans to settle down. In her free time she enjoys listening to live music, hiking, camping, sailing, paddle surfing, and BBQ-ing on her balcony.
Cristian Pérez
Housing Coordinator, Spain
Cristian Pérez
Housing Coordinator
Born and raised in Barcelona, Cristian has a Bachelor's degree in Political and Administration Sciences from Universitat Pompeu Fabra. During his studies, he spent five months in Poland as an Erasmus student and had the chance to learn a bit of the language, traveling around the country and enjoying the magical city of Krakow, where he lived. This remarkable experience abroad helped him realize how much he likes speaking other languages and led him to work at different tourist attractions in Barcelona. Now at ISA, he enjoys helping students make the most of their stay at his hometown. Cristian loves to discover new spots in town, hanging out with friends, traveling, music, history and animals.
Walter Uribe
Academic Coordinator, Spain
Walter Uribe
Academic Coordinator
Walter spent most of his life living in Mataró, a town on the coast north of Barcelona, but came back to the city shortly after university. After completing his Humanities degree at the Pompeu Fabra University, he also achieved a postgraduate degree in Music Business at the same university. He loves music and production and whenever the occasion arises, he enjoys getting on the microphone and singing some R&B. While working at the famous Liceu theatre in Barcelona, he discovered a profound appreciation for opera and a new interest in sharing his culture with people from other countries through music. Walter takes pride in helping students while they are far from home and hopes to help them discover the beauty of Barcelona.