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)
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A Spanish native originating from Oviedo, Spain, Carlos spent nearly 20 years in the US, where he studied at UNC-Asheville receiveing Bachelors of Science and continued his studies at UNC-Chappell Hill receiving a PhD in 19th-century Spanish Literature. Carlos taught at University of Richmond as a Spanish and Humanities Professor for nearly 10 years.
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 Carmona, Seville native, Rocio 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.
Rocio has been working with COWA since the very beginning in 2015, where she is responsible for the search and placements of student in host families.
Rachel earned her BA and MA at UNC-Chapel Hill in Romance languages before studying at the University of Maryland where she received her PhD in Spanish Language and Literature. Her teaching career began in 1998 during he masters. During her gradute studies, she worked as an assistant to the study abrod program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Before moving to Spain, Rachel taught at SUNY-Brockport’s and created their study abroad program with the Universidad de Grananda’s Centro de Lenguas Modernas. She served as Director of Programs in Spain, advising stduents on course offerings as well as other programs in Spain.
Rachel joined COWA in 2025 as Faculty and Academic Coordinator where she teaches and organizes student academics.
Born and raised in Sevilla, Julio graduated from the University of Seville in 2017 with a degree in Art History, specialising in Seville and its traditions. He continued his studies and received his Master’s in Architecture and Historical Heritage; Teaching Spanish as a Second Language at the Univeristy of Pablo de Olavide, Teaching for High School sutdents at Distancia de Madrid. His career started as a tour guide in Sevilla and has been in the industry ever since.
Julio joined COWA in 2019 with over 3 years of experience working as a tour guide in various parts of Spain. He now leads the guided visits and trips for our students.
Born and raised in Seville, Marina also graduted from the University of Sevile with a degree in History of Art and then continued her studies at the University of Pablo de Olavide where she recieved her masters in Museum Art and Heritage Management.
Marina joined COWA in 2019 as a tour guide. She is resposible for immersion of students in Spanish culture as well as accompanying students on the exursions, explaining the history of each historical landmark.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya and immigrating to Charlotte, NC Priyanka relocated to Sevilla in 2022. She has more than 10 years of global experience across management consulting, international development, nonprofit, public sector, and higher education sectors.
A proud Tar Heel alum (’13) and SAS Sevilla Alum (Spring 2012), Priyanka’s study abroad experience contributed to her eventual success in her careers where she worked on capacity building in the judicial sector, advising clients including the U.S. Department of State, and helped clients strategically grow their business and reach. Priyanka holds a BA in Hispanic Linguistics, BS in Psychology (UNC-CH) and a MA in International Relations from American University SIS.
Priyanka joined COWA in 2024 as Director of Global Internships where she is responsible for devloping study abroad progams.
