Our mission is to give all of our students a unique and fulfilling study abroad experience. We want our students to leave Seville feeling more confident and comfortable with the Spanish language.
At COWA, we believe the best way to learn a language is to be fully immersed in it. Our programs are designed to expose students to the Spanish language and culture as much as possible, through our housing, classes and cultural excursions.
Please click here to view COWA’s Policies and Procedures page.
Every student can learn the Spanish language.
Learning occurs both in and outside of the classroom.
Studying abroad is a fundamental step towards becoming a world citizen.
COWA’s new headquarters are located at: Avenida de la Borbolla, 41, 41013, Seville. This is an ideal location for students and visiting faculty as it is right in front of the emblematic Maria Luisa Park, only minutes away from the city center on foot, in walking distance to the University of Seville and EUSA main campuses, where some students may take classes with locals, and it is very well connected with public transportation.
COWA’s headquarters include 4 fully equipped intelligent classrooms. The space also includes offices for incoming visiting faculty and/or student interns and fellows, as well a 1000 square foot indoor study area / auditorium to host activities for students such as live music, dance workshops, language exchanges, or simply hanging out. Additionally, we have a locked safe on site that allows us to securely store sensitive items for students should they so desire.
COWA also has agreements the University of Seville as well as its Campus Universitario EUSA, which offers degrees in journalism, audiovisual communication, publicity and public relations, and tourism, as well as professional development courses and other certificate programs. Our advanced students have the option to take courses at either one or both of these academic centers.
These locations provide active university campuses with the accommodations essential to a successful academic program, while permitting interaction with Spanish and other international students.
*All classrooms, offices and study spaces at COWA headquarters use DucFit, a patented air filtering system by CleanAir that eliminates more than 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air and on surfaces*
(For more information about how COWA is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to our COVID-19 webpage)
Carlos Valencia is a native of Oviedo but spent 20 years of his professional life in the United States. There, he received his doctorate in 19th-century Spanish literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before teaching at Wake Forest University and the University of Richmond. In 2015, he moved back to Seville, serving as director of the UNC in Seville study abroad program and shortly afterwards he founded COWA. Among Carlos’s professional interests are the application of new technology to Spanish language instruction and the incorporation of volunteer work into curriculums as a sociolinguistic and cultural learning tool.
A native of Carmona (Seville), Ms. Rodriguez studied Law at the University of Seville before branching off into the Hospitality Industry. She has spent the last 10 years managing a small boutique hotel in Carmona, and has been part of the COWA team since its beginning in 2015.
Cheryl earned her Master’s degree in Spanish from UNC-Chapel Hill and has over twenty years of experience in study abroad. She worked as a study abroad advisor at UNC before moving to Sevilla where she has worked as the Resident Coordinator for various programs.
Cinthya holds an MBA in International Business and a Law degree. She served as a Nicaraguan diplomat in Brazil, where she worked on international cooperation initiatives and represented her country at global events. Fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese, her professional background reflects expertise in cross-cultural communication, which she now brings to her role as our Program Coordinator.
Julio Barneto was born in Seville and graduated from the University of Seville in 2017 with a degree in Art History, specialising in Seville and its traditions. He recently completed a Master’s program in Architecture and Historical Heritage, also in the University of Seville. Julio has over 3 years of experience working as a tour guide in various parts of Spain, and now leads the guided visits and trips for our students.
Eric Davis was born in Laramie, Wyoming and raised in Lawrence, Kansas. He has a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of Kansas and a Master’s degree in Art from the University of Seville (la Facultad de Bellas Artes de Sevilla). He is currently doing his doctorate in that same Seville University. He has worked as an artist painting in Seville since 1992 and has taught Art and art History to international students in several university programs in Seville. He has also worked as a tour guide in Spain and in Africa for the past five years.
