By Charles Nolde

“The food and the weather!”

This was the response from Esperanza Soria-Nieto, a Spanish native and current Collegiate Upper School Spanish teacher, when asked what she loves most about Spain. Spain is the second-most traveled country around the globe, and for good reason. One significant allure for tourists comes from Spain’s historical marvels, characterized by a historic and diverse past. The Sagrada Familia basilica, for example, whose construction was started in 1882 in Barcelona by legendary architect Antoni Gaudí, draws many tourists with its majestic design. While Soria-Nieto teaches her classes about this landmark, she was born and raised in Sevilla, far south of Barcelona.  

Soria-Nieto’s happy place in Cadiz. Photo credit: Esperanza Soria-Nieto.

The country’s natural beauty mirrors its landmarks and culture with diverse terrain. From flat glowing beaches of the Costa Del Sol to the intimidating, yet serene Sierra Nevada mountains, Spain’s topography has everything to offer. Sorio-Nieto, in sharing her perspective, said, “My favorite place is the beaches of Cadiz. It is beautiful and where you can find more local tourism.” She has traveled to the Costa Del Sol and the Sierra Nevada mountains but more frequently visits Cadiz, where she has a vacation house.  

Soria-Nieto discovered her fervor for teaching at an early age. Driven by this passion, she decided to take a gap year before college and study English in the United States. During this journey, she met her future husband, Michael Hawkinson, encouraging her consistent returns to the U.S., culminating in their marriage in 1993. The marriage led to Soria-Nieto’s permanent move to the States that same year. 

The difference in the cultural dynamics between the social and laid-back atmosphere of Spain and the more individualistic U.S. culture made transitioning between the two countries challenging. “Spain is more social; it is a very collectivistic culture, whereas the U.S. is more individualistic,” she stated. This culture sheltered Soria-Nieto, making the journey to independence in the U.S. a struggle: “The first year was hard; another guy would have probably divorced me the first year,” she said. 

According to Soria-Nieto, in Spain people work for a living, but they don’t live for work; there is less pressure and yearning for monetary status. Soria-Nieto mentioned how “people are less geared to money and buying things. They just make sure they have enough to go on vacations and holidays.” This “collectivistic culture,” where people prioritize helping their neighbor and having fun over work, percolates into Spain’s economic methods. Spaniards have a less free-market capitalist mindset when it comes to the economy. They are a mixed capitalist economy, meaning while there is some private freedom, the government plays a larger role in economic planning and regulation. As a result, there are higher taxes; Spaniards with incomes over €300,000 pay a 47% income tax, whereas in the United States those who make over $320,000 pay closer to around 35% of their income. 

While she appreciates the vibrant social culture of her homeland, Soria-Nieto expressed reservations about the elevated tax rates. This sentiment might be influenced by her personal choices, as she opted for private education at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, forgoing the free public schooling available in Spain. However, she considers the Spanish healthcare system a valuable benefit, saying, “universal medicine is the best. It is great.” In Spain, public universities are free and private ones require tuition, but getting into a public university demands a better application. Soria-Nieto said there is a moderate fee for public universities, but not as much as college tuition in the U.S. 

Although the countries do differ, Soria-Nieto is content wherever she is. With 18 years of experience at Collegiate and a prior 13 year tenure at VCU, she emphasizes her enjoyment in working with students. When asked what she likes about teaching at Collegiate, she responded saying, “The students. I enjoy working with the students, and the moment I don’t, I will quit. The relationship from the two years I build with the same students is important and good.”

Soria-Nieto’s commitment to her students is echoed by Spanish student Malcolm Pace (’24). He said, “Sra. Esperanza is incredibly caring about not only her students’ academics but also our well being. She has formed a close connection with all of us throughout our two years in her class.” 

Beyond her professional life, Soria-Nieto is a devoted and caring mother of two children, Ivan (’21) and Adriana (’15), both born in the U.S. Ivan currently attends Penn State and Adriana attended the University of Michigan. Soria-Nieto raised her kids the way she was raised, the Spanish way. If you asked her kids, homelife was very formal; they ate three meals a day together on the weekends and were very protected by their mother. Raised in a hybrid cultural setting, spending summers and Christmases in Spain, Ivan and Adriana navigated the challenges of being bicultural. According to Soria-Nieto, they didn’t fit in one hundred percent anywhere, as they never lived a full year in one country, and traveling sometimes made friendships hard. Looking back, Soria-Nieto wishes she had divided the time of traveling more strategically to allow for a more balanced cultural exposure.

Soria-Nieto hopes to eventually retire in Spain and live six months a year there, with a particular desire for this period to coincide with Easter. This wish stems from her love of the spring weather and a nostalgic yearning to celebrate Easter in Spain, something she hasn’t done in 30 years. 

Featured image photo credit: Pexels.com.