The Spanish and Portuguese Section had the pleasure of hosting a visit by the Spanish Ambassador to the UK, his Excellency José Pascual Marco Martínez, in the afternoon of Monday 13 March.
The Ambassador met with members of the Faculty, including distinguished Emeritus Professors Steven Boldy, Elizabeth Drayson, and Alison Sinclair, and students over coffee in the beautiful surroundings of Selwyn College. Student Eve Maylor said of the visit, "I have always been interested in applying for the Diplomatic and Development Fast Stream after completing my degree. However, this is a highly competitive course and I knew that, to be successful, I would need some concrete advice from someone who works within this field. Never would I have imagined this person could be the Spanish Ambassador! I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak with José Pascual Marco and hear about his experiences throughout his career."
The Ambassador, who has been in post since September 2021, was in Cambridge for three days meeting with various members of the University and getting acquainted with a number of research networks with a connection to Spain. During this gathering, students had the opportunity to discuss with him matters to do with their studies at Cambridge as well as their future career plans.
"I really enjoyed the afternoon tea with the Spanish Ambassador. It was a surreal experience and fascinating to hear about his interests in literature, particularly his knowledge of theatre and poetry which he proceeded to recite extracts from! Talking to the emeritus fellows also in attendance was also really interesting to hear about their specialisms, and also get advice for year abroad! MMLL events such as these have been a great chance to get an insight into diplomacy and the relations between different countries and Spain, a field I am interested to pursue in future," reflected Yii-Ling, Second Year MML student.
On Tuesday 14th March, the Ambassador gave a talk in Pembroke College on Spain’s foreign policy, its next Presidency of the EU, relations with the UK and the challenges of the green and digital revolutions.
