Madrid and Santiago de Compostela, March 30-April 5

Once again, a group of ten young Americans from various professional fields with outstanding career prospects visited Spain this week, along with some of its leading companies and institutions. Their goal was to gain an updated and positive perspective of the country and share it within their respective circles of influence upon returning to the United States.

For a week, they visited Madrid and Santiago de Compostela as part of the 24th edition of the Young American Leaders Program, which we jointly promote with the United States Spain Council.

This year’s participants came from diverse organizations such as the U.S. Department of Education, Fox Corporation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the offices of U.S. Congress members.

The week began with meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, where they were welcomed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío, and the Foundation’s team. They then moved on to the Elcano Royal Institute, where its director, Charles Powell, provided an overview of Spain and the key issues currently shaping discussions.

After a lunch with the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, where they exchanged views on various current affairs, they visited the Reina Sofía Museum, discovering 20th-century Spanish history through works of art such as Picasso’s Guernica.

On the second day, they started their morning at Indra’s facilities, followed by visits to Madrid City Hall and Amazon Web Services. They then had lunch with a representative from the Ministry of Health and attended a discussion at the Aspen Institute, moderated by Ignacio Torreblanca. The day concluded with a networking cocktail event with members of the Fulbright program on a terrace with stunning views of Madrid.

Wednesday was their last day in Spain’s capital. They toured the Radio Televisión Española facilities with Anna Bosch and Lorenzo Milá, and were then welcomed at the U.S. Embassy. Later, Banco Santander hosted a working lunch and offered them a private tour of its art gallery.

In Galicia, they visited the headquarters of one of the world’s leading textile companies, Inditex, in Arteixo. Afterward, they enjoyed lunch with breathtaking views of the A Coruña coast and walked the final kilometer of the Camino de Santiago, experiencing firsthand Spain’s diversity.

To conclude their trip, they were received by the Xunta de Galicia, where they learned about the region’s key economic drivers. They then visited BioIncubaTech at the University of Santiago de Compostela.

This carefully designed program provided participants with a comprehensive view of Spain’s sociopolitical, business, cultural, and institutional landscape.

The Young American Leaders emphasized that the program not only allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of Spain but also to discover areas where the country stands out as a global leader, such as transportation and financial technology, as well as pioneering social policies.