Kaylyn Nuno knew she wanted to mold her first year at Cal Poly into something more valuable than the typical experience. 

“I am not a person that likes to settle for comfort,” said the economics major. 

Through First Year GO (Global Opportunities) – or FYGO for short – she took the chance to make this a reality. FYGO is a new program at Cal Poly that allows first years to do something bold: take their studies to the south of Spain for spring quarter. 

Nestled in the sun-drenched Andalusian countryside, the city of Seville offers students a Mediterranean lifestyle just a short trip from the coast. There, FYGO is giving students the opportunity to put Learn by Doing into global practice by studying international business, learning Spanish, and exploring a brand new culture that cannot be found on campus. The program aligns with Cal Poly's curriculum so students can earn major, general education, or language minor courses without falling behind.

While many freshmen are still navigating the dorms in San Luis Obispo, FYGO students are building a global cohort that will support them for the next three years on campus.

Nuno says the program immersed her in a completely different way of life. “They focused on living and finding yourself and understanding life, which was something I needed, especially after getting introduced into a totally new environment of being a college student.” 

Located in the south of Spain, Seville itself dates back to the Romans. It hosts traditions and architecture which are hundreds to thousands of years old.   

Seville does not make it difficult to find and engage in its culture. The city holds two week-long festivals, Fería and Semana Santa, both of which FYGO gives students time off to attend.  

“My favorite memory from Seville was finding used Flamenco dresses at a small thrift store with my friends and getting all dressed up in them to go to Fería.” said Lily Hoellwarth, a food science student and FYGO graduate. “We met local people, ate and drank local foods, and danced.”  

 Through cultural events like these, she said, “I was able to interact with locals and build a community that I couldn’t find elsewhere.” 

Even in day-to-day life, FYGO offers first-year students freedom and the chance to build their own experience. After making breakfast in her own kitchen and going to class, Hoellwarth said, she and her friends in the program were free to explore Seville. 

This freedom goes outside the confines of Seville, or even the borders of Spain. Being in Europe, students are right at the doorstep of France, Portugal, Morocco, and beyond. One graduate of FYGO, accounting student Lauren Moro, did just that. 

“One huge pro of studying abroad in Europe is your proximity to other countries,” she said. “I took a 2-hour bus to Portugal one weekend and a 2- hour ferry to Morocco another.” 

Choosing between all of these opportunities, combined with the 6,000-mile distance between Spain and California, presents a major change for first years. Fortunately, FYGO is designed to bring Cal Poly students together. Through group excursions and tours in Seville, the program gives people the chance to develop their experiences together. 

“The excursions and the tours around the city as a whole group, all being from the same school, made it more comforting, since we were on the same boat and not alone,” Nuno said. 

“I thought that leaving my family and friends would be very challenging,” Hoellwarth added, “but with my new friends from the program, amazing professors at CEA CAPA, and friendly locals, I was able to adjust to being in Spain very easily, and that eventually made it very hard when I had to leave, come summer.” 

CEA CAPA is a partner program of FYGO, which offers a study center, where students can hone their Spanish skills and connect with instructors. 

FYGO also supplies students with a valuable academic experience. For many, this value comes from learning about international business. 

“The international business course deepened my understanding of global policy by allowing me to view U.S. relations from a Spanish perspective,” Moro said. “The experience also motivated me to minor in political science and helped me clarify my career direction, ultimately leading me to pursue accounting with the goal of working internationally."

Getting the most out of FYGO, Nuno said, requires taking initiative in your studies. 

“Just the simple courage to ask a question can make you stand out and open up many doors to be one step closer to achieving your goals," she said. 

By taking the time to meet with her international business professor outside of class, she was introduced to internship opportunities she could not find anywhere else. 

“I asked him how I can get international hands-on experience with businesses, such as internships, and he introduced me to the Seville business internship for students abroad, as well as other potential internships in other countries,” she said. 

Now, Nuno is building on her time in Seville by pursuing an internship in London. All based on opportunities she would not have found on campus. 

At the Orfalea College of Business, Senior Assistant Dean for Student Success Amy Carter said stories like Nuno’s are the driving force behind offering study abroad programs to freshmen.  

“While students are building academic foundations on campus, FYGO helps them develop confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging early in their college journey," she said. "Students return with a stronger connection to Cal Poly, clearer academic and personal goals and skills that support persistence and success throughout their time here."

While students in FYGO gained experience to guide them in their education and future careers, the program also offered lessons about life in general.  

“Understanding different cultures other than your own opens your eyes to a whole new world of not only business, but to all aspects of life,” Hoellwarth said. 

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Cal Poly is sending it's 2nd cohort of 50 students who will travel to Seville in Spring 2026. New students have the opportunity to apply for this program upon acceptance into the university.  Learn more here. 

Top photo: Kaylyn Nuno and other students in the First Year Go program pose for a photo in Seville. (Courtesy photo)

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