About us
Our Team ispassionatemotivatedhelpfulsupportiveprofessionalinternationalmulticulturalmultilingualexperiencedpreparedpositiveefficientnicehands-oncurioushappyflexibleattentiveenthusiasticavailable
Kristin EberlManaging Director Openmind
I was brought up in Munich, have lived in Barcelona since 2007 and I am a declared Europefan!
In 2009, with love and passion, I founded Openmind with the aim of promoting the European dream of social inclusion for all. As a former exchange student and someone who has travelled throughout the world, I am aware how fortunate we are in this continent. It´s wonderful to see how many emotions we move between the countries. It is exactly what Europe needs... emotional connections!
My two children are tri-lingual and they embody the colourful spirit of Europe! I am convinced that students will also become infected with this passion. We are looking forward to looking after them.
Carmen BujalanceDirector High School Programme
I am a translator and interpreter for English and German.
In Germany I was responsible for the selection of exchange students and discovered my passion for the intercultural world.
When I met Kristin, I started working as a coordinator in Seville for Openmind. Now I have become her right hand, the director of our school programme in Spain as well as the director of the High School
Programme abroad for our Spanish students.
Hopefully one day my little daughter Emma asks me if I could organize her stay in New Zealand.
Sole Herrera BatistaProgram Assistant
Although my roots were deeply in Seville, after six years as a local coordinator for Openmind, I decided to experience life in beautiful Ireland. Two years on, I now return to the team with more enthusiasm for what lies ahead. I am a teacher by profession and this offered me opportunities to educate in diverse countries such as Peru, Ireland and Morocco.I am fortunate to be able to combine my passion with work which gives me a unique footing to manage school exchanges whilst sign posting future generations to the joys of immersion in differing cultures
Get to know our coordinators
Openmind would not exist without our wonderful team of local coordinators! The majority has lived abroad, already hosted foreign guests in their house or grew up in a bilingual environment. They all know what cultural adaptation means and do a fantastic job in choosing the right host family, while closely supporting the students during their whole stay.
Her hobbies are reading, cinema, cycling and learning from others (especially from young people because of their “freshness”).
Mariló is a positive, active and warm-hearted mom of two teenagers who have been abroad many times. She has been a host mother several times. As a coordinator, the students can count on her great empathy for all involved people/parties.
She uses all her power and engagement to ensure that participants have an unforgettable experience. She is convinced that by achieving that, the participants come often back to Spain, which makes a real sustainable cultural exchange.
Pilar is from the Aljarafe County, Seville and she works in tourism organising events mainly. Moreover, she has been a host mother for over 15 years, first for au pairs and later for high school students. She has always wanted her daughters to be open-minded and to practise other languages. In addition, she knows how families feel like when sending their children abroad as her elder daughter studied in Canada for a school year. She likes spending time growing vegetables and gardening but what she really loves is travelling. She enjoys swapping house during the summer to travel abroad with her family, a great opportunity to meet people from other cultures and to learn from them.
Nelly is from a small town in the mountains of Cadiz, but has lived in Malaga since 2000. She has a degree in Pedagogy and has been working in a child protection center since 2004. For her, working with adolescents is very rewarding and she considers that she has many skills for it. She is sociable, communicative and open to new experiences, people, places... and is excited to be part of the Openmind team and generate new learning.
She likes to travel and make plans with her family, friends and her dog Curro. She loves music, guitar, photography, tennis, reading, the beach, kayaking and hiking in the countryside.
Marcos grew up as a host family for over 15 years in Sevilla. That's why he has been working as a coordinator for over 6 years. It's his passion. Furthermore, he is a language teacher and has traveled the world, discovering new cultures and visiting all those host sibblings who have left a mark on his life. He knows what it's like to live abroad because he spent a year in Germany. He experienced firsthand all the challenges to learn that our students go through. He loves his city, Sevilla, and whenever he can, he takes the opportunity to show his students its hidden gems. He considers himself an active, cheerful, empathetic person, always ready to help others.
Héctor’s passion for teaching and for nature is evident from the very first meeting. He was born in Zaragoza long time ago but he says he is younger than his three children! He works as a Spanish Language Teacher at ALE and he is a mountain guide in his spare time. He lived in England for 5 years where he started his teaching career and has climbed Montblanc and has more mountains in mind. His motto: Traveling and learning a new language give you a new soul.
Cristina was born in Madrid and now lives in Aranda de Duero. She is a school teacher for children and teenagers. She currently works in an English school and she is in permanent contact with families who look for the experience in participating in cultural exchanges with other countries.
She is really interested in discovering other cultures and lifestyles, enriching herself every day from the company of people.
She likes doing opendoor activites with her family, seeing a good film and travelling.
Her family has previously hosted exchange students from Germany, New Zealand and Canada. She loved this experience so much that she became our coordinator.
Her passion is theatre. She also loves going to the cinema, reading, doing outdoor sports and chatting with her family and friends.
Her biggest hobby is meeting people from all over the world!
She is optimistic and proactive, she likes to get involved in new projects and is very happy to participate in this cultural exchange programme. Professionally she is a nutritionist and biology teacher. She loves teaching and involving her students in the passionate world of science.
In her spare time she practices yoga and swimming. She enjoys reading, going for walks in nature and going on cultural trips with her family.
An unforgettable
cultural exchange
Kristin, Carmen and the entire Openmind Team
We are looking forward to meeting you!
