Manuela Correa

For Bogotá native Manuela Correa, art and design have been lifelong passions. It’s a tool that allows you to not only create ideas but also innovate transformative new technologies that solve real issues and allow society to progress. That’s why she chose to pursue the Dual Degree in Business Administration and Design: the unique mix of math, business and art would expand her mindset, opening up both new perspectives and many doors of opportunity in the future.

Manuela was searching for an international institution; somewhere that would take her outside of her comfort zone and where she knew she would meet people from different backgrounds. That’s why she chose IE University—our multicultural community, representing over 140 countries, offers exactly the diverse blend of perspectives she was determined to experience.

Now in her second year, Manuela is happy with her choice of both IE University and her career. She’s met new friends, made many beneficial connections and traveled to a host of different places as part of her undergraduate program.

Manuela has also managed to enhance her professional profile thanks to the hands-on skills she has gained while working on real projects for real organizations. For the Social Impact Lab’s work with Fundación Cadete—an NGO working with children and young people with disabilities—Manuela coordinated the team’s efforts in Segovia. Her dedicated leadership and drive led Manuela to receive the IE Collaboration Award, a recognition that allowed her to work with our Admissions Department.

In turn, this led to her having the chance to represent both her program and cohort on Unibuddy, a student chat platform. And that’s not all; Manuela has also participated in numerous events in Segovia and Madrid, trying her hand at different extracurricular activities from the cooking class hosted at IE Tower to a food-related exhibition held at Casa de la Moneda and more. According to her, “IE University offers you many options to get involved in.”

Manuela likes to spend her free time engaged in various creative pursuits. She loves drawing, listening to music and also playing it. She regularly travels to new places and appreciates trying out new foods. And when she is in Segovia, Manuela’s favorite pastime is going for walks along the Eresma river or watching the sunset from Alcázar de Segovia.

Manuela is certainly ambitious but is still working out exactly what she wants her future to hold. Certainly, she intends to continue exploring her interest in branding and graphic design, and her own development, telling us: “I’ve had massive personal growth, starting with leaving my country, going to another continent, and living away from my family.”

But coming to IE University was about more than receiving a quality education for Manuela; it was about the contacts she would make throughout the program. The rich diversity and opportunity of the IE University experience will only serve to broaden her mind and horizons, and will no doubt prove extremely valuable for her personal and professional future.