Graduating from an international baccalaureate program in Jacksonville, Florida, Rudene Mercer Haynes earned admission into many universities in 1993 – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Florida, Duke University and University of Virginia among others. She chose UVA as it gave her the best scholarship package, but also because of a memory from her middle school trip. “When I was in middle school, we did a school visit to UVA as part of my American History class,” Haynes said. “And while we were there, it snowed. The entire Grounds were covered in snow, and it was beyond magical for this Florida girl.”
At UVA, Haynes was keen at continuing her study of Spanish which started in middle school and continued all the way through her high school years. “I was laser focused on Valencia,” she said adding that the semester long program allowed her to graduate with a minor in Spanish.
Valencia Changed My Outlook to Life: Rudene Mercer Haynes
Valencia Changed My Outlook to Life: Rudene Mercer Haynes
Haynes is a Chambers-ranked securitization attorney and firmwide hiring partner and Executive Committee member of Hunton, Andrews, Kurth, a nationally recognized, full-service law firm in Northern Virginia. She remembers her Valencia experiences vividly even today. In Fall 1995, Haynes arrived in Valencia for a semester long program which included a stay with a host family, a core component of the program. When she met her host mother, she said in Spanish that Haynes was the first black person who has stayed in her house. Haynes was quick to say that she didn’t take the comment in a negative way. Instead, she thought that this experience was as much an exposure to her of the world outside America as it was for her host family to have an introduction to a Black-American. From that moment on, Haynes decided that she would be the best ambassador of Black America for this family.
In Valencia, Haynes decided to work hard on her Spanish and practice it with her host family and says that it made all the difference. She jokes that in Valencia she could “dream in Spanish” and credits it to the immersive experience of the program. “It was a level of exposure that I did not imagine when I applied for the program,” she said. The UVA Valencia students studied together in a class of their own, learning separately, but still had opportunities to interact with Spanish students outside of class.
Haynes says her time in Valencia opened her eyes to a different world. She had classes at the University of Valencia campus during the week. On weekends, she traveled and explored Spain and other countries including Italy and France. “I did not come from a family with means, so I was able to travel to a few places like Paris and Florence, and not able to go to others, but I learned so much,” she said.
Haynes has not been back to Europe since her study abroad experience but is looking forward to the 40th anniversary celebrations in Valencia this year. “The experience in Valencia made me a lot more open-minded about being in a place outside my comfort zone, “Haynes said.
It was in Spain that Haynes decided to apply to law school and traveled to Madrid to take the LSAT entrance exam. She chose the University of Texas in Austin so she could practice her Spanish while studying law.
Haynes spoke to Global UVA just as she and her family wer coming back from Japan with her son’s school trip to five different cities over 10 days. She hopes to instill her love for travel in her kids, a passion that started during her study abroad experience to Valencia.
