Christmas break had a Spanish twist for a group of Rockhurst students. On January 1, a group of Rockhurst students from the Helzberg School of Management embarked on a 12 day journey to Barcelona, Spain. The trip is part of the MG 3091 course, Global Issues in Business/Culture. Each year, Rockhurst professors and a group of 20-30 students head to Spain to experience the culture, scenery, business, and life that Barcelona has to offer.

This year, the students were accompanied by Dr. Jeremy O’Connor, an Assistant Professor of Management, and Dr. Pete Bicak, a professor of Communication and the Department Chair of Communications and Fine Art.

The trip consisted of daily activities that included education and culture. One morning, the students took a trip to a small town outside of Barcelona to visit Punto Blanco, a textile company. The students were given an extensive tour of the factory which included the production of the company’s luxury socks from yarn to packaging.

The students also experienced the beauty and complexity of one of the city’s most famous architects, Antoni Gaudí. The students experienced an audio-visual tour of Casa Batllo and La Sagrada Familia, two of Gaudí’s most iconic works in Barcelona.

Most years, the trip overlaps with one of Spain’s most celebrated holidays, Día de Los Reyes, or Three Kings Day. The students experienced the holiday festivities first hand by attending the city parade outside the Font Mágica (magic fountain).

The trip is made possible by IQS, a Jesuit institution located in the heart of Barcelona. IQS professors would join the students in educational activities and would conduct business lectures.

“My favorite part of the trip was definitely the FC Barcelona game”, Alex Mitchell 17’ said, “We showed up to the game to find out we had 12th row tickets. We watched Lionel Messi score a hat-trick from only 12 rows up”.

The students were also exposed to rich art at the Picasso Museum and the Museu Nacional d’Arte de Catalunya, the national museum of Catalan visual art.

“The trip was incredible because in the morning we would be at a museum and by evening we were at a flamenco show” Mitchell said, “We truly did it all”.