While many students spent their summers on the beach soaking up the sun, two SMU juniors spent their time

researching African migration patterns in Spain.

Hannah Bliss and Lashlee Warner travelled to Spain as part of the Richter International Fellowship Program, which allows University Honor students the chance to research international projects.

The Paul K. and Evelyn E. Cook Richter Memorial Funds fund the Richter International Fellowship Program that made Bliss and Warner’s trip possible. Second, third and fourth year students in the University Honors Program can apply for the fellowship.

SMU is one of 12 schools offering Richter Fellowships.

As Richter scholars, Bliss and Warner conducted research on African immigrants in the Spanish cities of Madrid, Ceuta and Valencia.

Bliss, a political science and accounting major, hoped to gain “a more comprehensive understanding of the way refugees are viewed in the Spanish culture as well as . . . [how] African migrants begin to affect Spanish society.”

She hoped that along with gaining information and research this topic, she could “find compassion for the people we were meeting along the way and the hardships they encounter as immigrants.”

“We looked at various facets of the migration issue in Spain: what was motivating people to seek asylum in Spain from Africa? How many people were coming? What countries were they from?” Warner, a junior premedical student, said.

Bliss and Warner conducted interviews, procured

background reading, and consulted pertinent NGOs to better understand “the process for these migrants and refugees in finding housing, jobs, and healthcare.”

“We visited offices and spoke with immigrants to gain a true understanding of daily life as a migrant within Spanish borders,” Bliss said.

Although Bliss and Warner enjoyed travelling throughout the country, both found that interacting with African immigrants was the best part of their trip.

“It was a phenomenal feeling to put a face to the issue that we were studying and to learn about the immigrants’ families, home countries, and experiences in moving to Spain,” Warner said.

“Oftentimes, the simple question ‘where are you from?’ can have powerful effects on people. For many immigrants, the idea that someone wants to know their story and genuinely cares about their roots is a wonderful thing,” Bliss said.