"The years at the University of Navarra were for me the best gift."

ISSA School of Applied Management celebrates its 60th anniversary this academic year 2023/24. To commemorate this milestone, three meetings have been planned in Pamplona, Madrid and San Sebastian. The second of these was held in Madrid on Saturday, March 9, with attendance attended by some fifty people.

The event, held in the Alumni Building of the University of Navarra in Madrid and presented by Antonio María Fernández, director of development of the center, was attended by Ana María Fernández, ISSA professor, who gave a training pill about the evolution of Communication in organizations, and Fátima Ramos (ISSA'17), who gave a brief chronology in which she narrated the most important moments in the history of the academic center.

The meeting continued with a roundtable in which four former students shared their testimonies and recalled their years at training, both in San Sebastian and Pamplona: Ana Magraner (ISSA'67), Isabel García-Morato (ISSA'98), Francisco Barrionuevo (ISSA'08) and Carmen Urbiola (ISSA'22).

The celebration ended with a few words from Victoria Rodriguez, director of ISSA: "I want to thank the work of our alumni, who in all these years have set an example of know-how (being and being) around the world, and have made our mission statement their own, testifying to the importance of the work well done for those who deal in the day to day of the management".

The third and final meeting commemorating ISSA's 60th anniversary will be held in San Sebastian on June 22, 2024.

Ana Magraner (ISSA'67). Retired

"I am part of the second class of ISSA. With the passing of time, I now know that what I learned during those years in San Sebastian was the cornerstone of my training, the basis on which I have been able to develop a professional degree program rich in experiences. Although I was able to work in the private business and in cooperation work for the development, my vocation has always been public service. I worked in several African countries and, for 25 years, in different European institutions based in Brussels, actively participating in public policies".

Isabel García-Morato (ISSA'98). Institutional & International Affairs Specialist at Redeia

"From my years at ISSA I remember the solid training received and the international opportunities (I remember being the first of my friends from Salamanca to do an Erasmus exchange ), but, above all, the people I was able to meet. Colleagues who today are still friends, teachers and professionals who marked me. I am especially fond of Leticia Bañares, who sadly passed away; I remember her classes, her passion for teaching, her generosity and closeness".

Francisco Barrionuevo (ISSA'08). Financial Controller & Operations Manager at Dutscher Group

"I was looking for a degree program that was as close as possible to the world of business. In the end, I chose to study at ISSA because of the practical and applied learning. I belong to the first generation of boys and I can say that the years in San Sebastian were the best of my life. I look back and realize that thanks to the training and the support of so many professors, such as Michelle Gaisoa, I have been able to develop an international degree program at area finance".

Carmen Urbiola (ISSA'22). Export & Import Technician - Viralgen Vector Core

"I always thought I would be an engineer; in fact, I took two years of degree program. However, I couldn't quite find my place. The alternative was not clear to me either, until one night, while searching for information on university careers, I came across proposal of ISSA School of Applied Management. I realized that I had everything I was looking for: languages, international opportunities, work ... That night changed my life. The years at the University of Navarra were for me the best gift: not only from an academic point of view, but also because of what I learned, shared and experienced at Campus".