When you talk about Scotland you imagine impossibly green landscapes, skies interrupted by vertigo-inducing cliffs, stately villas, and fanciful valleys. And it’s on the East coast of Scotland where some of the most spectacular natural settings in the United Kingdom can be found, and where Calum Hedigan, a young man of eighteen, studying law at IE University, was born and raised.
Calum’s story is one of an intellectually curious young man eager to take on a challenge. In Scotland, he demonstrated interest in education and language learning. He felt the spark of an entrepreneurial spirit starting at a very young age. So, after graduating from the prestigious High School of Dundee, Calum decided to study law and see the world.
Photo by: Roberto Arribas
The idea of studying in London never even crossed his mind; that would have been the easiest and most comfortable decision. He wanted to become a good lawyer, but he also wanted leave Great Britain, and to learn about other cultures and experience different ways of life. He looked for the best law schools in Europe and found IE University, a Spanish university that met all of his criteria. IE University was innovative, multicultural, international, it embraced an entrepreneurial spirit, and it was located in a country in the South of Europe, which was very attractive for someone coming from the North.
Latham & Watkins Scholarship
Calum made the choice to study at IE University approximately two years ago. Now, he is pursuing a dual degree in law at IE University in Segovia, allowing him to practice law in both the United Kingdom and Spain when he graduates. And because of his impressive academic record and demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit, he was granted a Latham & Watkins Scholarship for entrepreneurial law, which supports students who apply innovation to the new world of law. This scholarship is available to students because of IE University’s collaboration with the leading American law firm.
Calum feels at home in Segovia, but has the added bonus of living in an international environment where he feels genuinely happy. In addition to speaking English and Spanish, Calum speaks fluent French, and is studying Chinese, possibly the most useful language to study in the modern world. Calum has an innate talent for communication. He recently won a prize for the student on campus who could most effectively deliver a speech to an audience acting as a jury. He had to put what he learned at an advanced seminar into practice: how to structure the message, effectively take advantage of voice, master gestures and intonation. “We had to talk about ourselves, introduce ourselves to others with arguments, and in the end, I was the winner,” he says. Calum’s recipe for reaching an audience is relatively simple: “You have to have self-confidence, control your breathing, prepare your topics well, be able to improvise, and, above all, stay calm if you make a mistake.”
To Calum, the politician who communicates the most effectively is Barack Obama, because of “the types of messages he delivers and the way he controls his voice—it’s not too dominating or too weak, and he emits an air of tranquility.”
His great passion: rugby
Calum is known at IE University for his love of the most popular sport in his country: rugby, which he has been playing since he was five. The following this sport has in Scotland is so large you could say it’s the true passion of the country. You might even say rugby is to Scotland what soccer is to Spain, Italy, or Argentina. Unsurprisingly, Calum is the founder and president of the IE University rugby club, and is also the coach. There is currently one team with two chapters, one on the Segovia campus and the other in Madrid. Recently, students at IE University traveled to Barcelona to play a friendly game against ESADE, coming out on top, with a final score of 52 to 19. With a smile, Calum confesses that his dream was to become a professional rugby player and to play in the Six Nations Championship. But he admits, “I don’t think I have the talent, although I would love to.” At the moment, a good number of IE University students play the sport at the La Lastrilla soccer field, just three kilometers from the city.
In Segovia, Calum loves going out with friends for tapas at bars in the historic center. He likes places like the burger joint San Luis and the bar El Sitio, on the famous “Calle de los Bares,” lively at any time of year. “I love Segovia. It’s a perfect city to live in and study, everything is close by,” he says. When he returns to Scotland, Calum will remember his time in Spain, where he became a lawyer and lived a once-in-a-lifetime experience, fondly.