Madrid Peer Mentors
SLU-Madrid Peer Mentors
The Madrid Peer Mentors are a group of undergraduate student volunteers that have already studied at SLU-Madrid. If you have any questions regarding study abroad, these are the people to reach out to! All peer mentors have unique skills and experiences and are available to help you with whatever you may need.
Sophia De Vito — Senior, International Business and Business Analytics
Sophia is the Madrid Peer Mentor Coordinator and studied abroad at SLU-Madrid during Spring 2024. She lived with a host family just a short walk from campus, which allowed her to become very familiar with the surrounding area. Sophia was the only student in her host family, sharing the experience with two daughters and a son who were close to her age, making it a great opportunity to learn more about Madrid. During her semester abroad, Sophia traveled to 5 different countries and explored various regions throughout Spain, gaining a deeper love for Spain and all of Europe. Her top 3 favorite cities in Europe are Madrid, Amsterdam, and Rome.
Contact Sophia:
Email: sophia.devito@slu.edu
Phone: +1 (815) 278-0868
Carlie Baker - Junior, Occupational Therapy
Carlie studied abroad in Madrid for the Spring 2025 semester and is pursuing a degree in occupational therapy with minors in interprofessional education (IPE) and psychology. She lived with a host family in the Juan Duque neighborhood and had three roommates (each in the same program). Her host mother only spoke Spanish, so Carlie was grateful to immerse herself in the native language. Carlie traveled throughout Spain and has visited 13 countries and over 27 cities throughout her time abroad. Her favorite activity in Madrid was visiting all of the parks, specifically Parque de El Retiro, where she would hang out with friends and enjoy the outdoor atmosphere. She also spent a majority of her time not only traveling but also photographing various parts of the community and daily life abroad. Carlie planned most of her study abroad trips with her friend; she was a good navigator, both within cities and destinations, and specifically had a knack for picking the best restaurants with dishes specific to each city or country. Her favorite study abroad challenge was visiting three countries in three days: Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. Carlie has many tips and tricks for packing, navigating city life, and experiencing the highs and lows of life abroad. Carlie's favorite place and a recommendation to others includes the Italian Alps, also known as the Dolomites. Here, Carlie experienced some of the most spectacular hikes and wildlife she has ever seen, definitely recommending it to everyone who gets the opportunity to explore or likes to be outdoors. As for her favorite place in Spain, it would have to be Valencia, Spain. The picturesque buildings really helped her capture the uniqueness of this city and the culture surrounding the main Spanish dishes, such as paella. Her favorite places in Madrid included El Retiro and the various walks and daily exploring she would do with her roommates and friends. Carlie is excited to discuss her experiences with future study abroad individuals and help them feel prepared, excited, and answer any questions about this once-in-a-lifetime process.
Contact Carlie:
Email: carlie.baker@slu.edu
Callie Schubert — Junior, Spanish and Psychology
Hello, my name is Callie and I am a junior at SLU, studying Spanish and psychology with a minor in music. I studied at Slu Madrid during spring of 2025. I’m started with a host family in the vallehermoso community about 15 minutes from campus. During my time abroad, I visited 13 different countries. My favorite trip was Italy, specifically Rome. I love talking about study abroad, and I am always willing to answer any questions that anyone has!!
Contact Callie:
Email: ellie.schubert@slu.edu
Maddie Kindberg — Junior, Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies
I studied abroad in the fall of 2024 and am returning to Madrid in the spring of 2026. In the fall I lived with a host family to the north of the city in the Alcobendas neighborhood. During my time in Madrid, I spent time exploring the city, especially through the public transportation. I took a bus and two metros to get to and from the city for class, and I loved the ease that I could travel the city. Besides Madrid, I also traveled around Spain and the rest of Europe. One of my favorite parts of studying in Madrid was gaining knowledge about the culture, which I learned from my host family. I loved trying all new foods, so I went to many different tapas bars during my time in the city, and cannot wait to return. I am looking forward to meeting some future study abroad students, so please feel free to reach out with any questions!
Contact Maddie:
Email: maddie.kindberg@slu.edu
Sara Schutt — Senior (PY1), Exercise Science
Sara Studied abroad in Madrid fall 2024 semester and is studying exercise science with a concentration in physical therapy and a minor in nutrition, health and wellness. She lived in a host family Marli house, in Puerta Del Sol, which had 20 other people that were all from SLU and lived with one direct roommate. Sara traveled all throughout Europe, she traveled to 16 different cities. She tried to do something new each week with her friends while being in Spain. Her favorite place that she visited was Mykonos,Greece. Her favorite class while she was abroad was dance class, and she is very excited and would love to tell all the future students about her experience while being abroad.
Contact Sara:
Email: sara.schutt@slu.edu
Anna Ryan — Senior, Finance and Accounting
Anna studied abroad in Madrid during the Fall 2024 semester and is studying finance and accounting. She lived with around 20 other students in the Sol apartment of Marli House. Besides Spain, she visited 10 other countries and visited several cities within Spain as well. Anna loved her time abroad and loved being able to see so many places all within one semester. Her favorite destinations were Amsterdam and Interlaken. She has experience with planning trips and finding things to do within each destination. Her favorite places in Madrid were Parque del Retiro, Humana (a thrift store chain popular in some countries in Europe), and El Rastro (a weekly outdoor flea market). She loved to shop and try new foods every weekend, no matter the place. She was also very nervous to go abroad and would love to answer any questions from students who are feeling nervous about their trip, or about any uncertainties they may have!
Contact Anna:
Email: anna.ryan@slu.edu
Holden Straube — Junior, Political Science
I loved living in Madrid and getting to explore so many new places while I was there. Spain is truly one of the best places in the world, and I miss living there every day. My most memorable experience in Madrid was simply living with my host family. I was really nervous at first about staying with a random family on the other side of the world, but they turned out to be some of the most welcoming and caring people I’ve ever met. Through them, I was able to fully experience and understand Spanish culture — from long, late dinners and incredible food to hearing stories about our host parents’ childhoods in different parts of Spain. They made me feel like I truly had a family there.
Contact Holden:
Email: holden.straube@slu.edu
Abby Mauer — Senior, Health Sciences
Abby studied abroad at SLU-Madrid during the Spring 2024 semester. She lived with a host mom who hosted 8 girls. Abby is minoring in Spanish, and one of her favorite parts about studying abroad was bettering her Spanish by talking with her host mom who spoke little English. Abby was able to explore much of Spain, traveling to seven different cities, as well as also traveling to 10 other countries during her semester abroad. Some of her favorite memories from Madrid include dinners with her host family, exploring the many shops and restaurants in Madrid, and having picnics in Retiro Park with her friends. Abby would love to share more about her experiences abroad, as well as answer any questions about Madrid or how to balance traveling with homework and studying while taking courses at SLU-Madrid. Feel free to text or email her!
Contact Abby:
Email: abby.mauer@slu.edu
Phone: +1 (913) 221-7460
Noora Issa — Junior, Nursing and Health Ethics
My time abroad was the ultimate growth experience. It wasn't always easy ,there were definitely scary moments , but I had an amazing support group “my bsf” who made it so much easier, I learned to stand on my own and discover a completely new side of myself. Connecting with and experiencing other cultures was such a privilege , and it's something I think of daily
Contact Noora:
Email: Noora.issa@slu.edu
Jenna Ross — Junior, Nursing
My name is Jenna Ross. I am a Junior nursing student and I studied abroad in the fall of 2024. During my time abroad I was able to travel to many countries, meet a lot of new people, and overall had one of the best experiences of my life thus far. Since I am a nursing student I was very excited that SLU offered a program where I was able to travel and study abroad for an entire semester, as this has been something that I have wanted to do since high school. The nursing program is structured very well and it was very easy for me to take all of the nursing classes necessary for my degree along with other core classes I needed. Even though I was taking challenging nursing courses, I was still able to enjoy my time in Madrid, and had plenty of free time. One of my favorite trips I went on was my trip to Morocco. I went with the CityLife company with one of my friends and we had such a great experience. The people were very kind, and the country was very beautiful. Another fun option while studying at SLU Madrid was being able to volunteer with ESL (English as a Second Language). This group is located with SLU Madrid and volunteers are able to have their own class of adult students and teach them English as well as cultural differences. This was an incredible experience and I recommend it to anyone looking for volunteering in Madrid, or someone looking to expand their world-view.
Contact Jenna:
Email: Jenna.ross@slu.edu
Jackson Gayton — Junior, Marketing Major
My time abroad was a very transformative few months of my life were I learned a lot about myself. I stayed with a host family were I was the only one with family. We have a great relationship and I am going back soon to visit them. It was great to improve my Spanish but moreover to experience new cultures with friends. Staying in hostels had me meeting some of the most interesting people and I definitely enjoyed doing one or two solo trips. Favorite place was Porto, Portugal but a close second was visiting my family in krakow Poland.
Contact Jackson:
Email: Jackson.gayton@slu.edu
Nicole Waller — Senior, Health Sciences: Pre-Med
Nicole studied abroad at SLU-Madrid during the Spring 2024 semester. She lived with a host family in Moncloa along with four roommates from SLU. During her time abroad, Nicole loved traveling and visited 14 cities across 7 countries. Her favorite destination, however, was Madrid because of its vibrant culture and easy transportation. Nicole enjoyed planning her trips and would love to share her travel tips with other students. Some of her happiest Madrid memories include chatting with her roommates over her host mom’s delicious dinners, walking around Sol and Gran Vía, and discovering new parts of the city each day. Nicole is excited to answer any questions about studying abroad, including classes, packing, adjusting to a new culture, and more.
Contact Nicole:
Email: nicole.waller@slu.edu
Benjamin Miller — Junior, Biomedical Engineering, Pre-Med
I loved every minute of my time abroad. I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, lived with a host family in Niño Jesús, and lived with 6 other students (2 from SLU and 4 from two other American universities) I loved the city of Madrid and everything it had to offer. Parque de El Buen Retiro, Ibiza, and Sol were some of my favorite places to visit in Madrid. I spent most of my time during the week studying, planning trips, trying different restaurants and cafes with friends, and trying to ride every metro line in the city. I loved trying all the traditional food in Madrid and every place I visited. Overall, I visited 10 different countries and went on 19 different trips. My favorite place I visited was the Greek island Santorini. I can't wait to talk to all of the prospective study abroad students about traveling tips, food recommendations and more!
Contact Benjamin:Email: Benjamin.j.miller@slu.edu
Emilee Renc — Junior, Psychology and Criminology
Emilee studied abroad in Madrid for spring semester of 2025. She lived in an apartment in La Latina with two other SLU students. Emilee traveled to London, Paris, Valencia, Romania, Lyon, Rome, Ireland, Scotland, Porto, and all over Spain during her time abroad. Her favorite trip was to Porto, and would recommend it to everyone. Emilee would love to chat with any future study abroad students about anything, but has great travel tips! She is more than willing to answer any questions that may come her way.
Contact Emilee:Email: Emilee.renc@slu.edu
Leah Mini — Junior, Political Science and Spanish
Leah is a Political Science and Spanish major who studied abroad during Spring 2025. She stayed in a residence hall nearby the SLU-Madrid campus with one roommate and stayed with students from all over the US and Europe. During her time abroad, she traveled to a number of countries—one of her favorites being Morocco—but she loved Spain most of all. Eager to engage in cultural immersion, Leah visited 10 cities in Spain and spent most of her time outside of class exploring different neighborhoods in Madrid. She loved the café culture, thrifting scene, and gorgeous parks all around the city. One of her favorite memories at SLU-Madrid was taking a flamenco dance class and putting on a performance at the end of the semester. Leah is excited to answer any questions about studying abroad or give recommendations on the best places to shop/eat!
Contact Leah:Email: Leah.mini@slu.edu