If you've turned on the TV during coffee time and stumbled upon a young woman from Salamanca expressing political opinions with the subtlety of a jackhammer, it's most likely Sarah Pérez Santaolalla. And, as often happens with any face that suddenly appears everywhere, the first thing half the country types into Google is the same question: What exactly has this girl studied?
The question is amusing because her profile mixes cameras, law, and activism in almost equal parts. And that, logically, raises curiosity about where such eloquence with legal arguments comes from. Let's sort it all out calmly.
What degrees Sarah Santaolalla studied
The short answer is that her education combines two worlds that, on paper, don't communicate much: communication and law.
On one hand, she studied Audiovisual Communication at the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in Spain, which looks great in any biography. This degree explains why she moves in front of a camera like a fish in water, without that cold sweat that betrays someone not used to studios.
On the other hand, she also enrolled in a Law degree, although here it's worth fine-tuning, as sources do not agree. Most indicate that she studied Law at the University of León, while others directly mention the University of Salamanca. What does seem to be consistent almost everywhere is something juicier: there are serious doubts about whether she completed that Law degree.
The issue of the unfinished Law degree
Here lies the detail that generates the most debate, and rightly so. Various media outlets suggest that Santaolalla may not have completed her Law degree, and there are even reports claiming she stopped around her third year. As far as is known, she has not made an official statement closing the matter, so it remains in that grey area that is so appealing for social media.
Does this matter? Well, it depends on the purpose. In her early television appearances, she was introduced as a jurist, a label that, if the degree is not completed, raises more than one eyebrow among her critics. It's one of those details that becomes ammunition in discussions, because in this country we love the “let's see, do you have the degree or not?” more than the content of what is being said.
The reasonable conclusion is to stick with what is verifiable: she started Law, has legal training, and the completion of the degree is not confirmed. No more, no less.
Why such a rare combination makes sense
From the outside, mixing audiovisual and law seems like an improbable cocktail, almost like ordering an iced coffee in August and being served it in a hot cup. But in her case, it fits surprisingly well.
The Audiovisual Communication provided her with the tools to handle herself in front of the microphone, understand the timing of a program, and construct a discourse that can be heard. The Law, completed or not, gave her a veneer of legal and political arguments that in a discussion are worth their weight in gold, as they allow for conversations about laws, rulings, and regulations without going blank.
That dual foundation is precisely what supports her profile as a political analyst, and explains why she went from being an unknown to debating in prime time in just a couple of years.
Where her interest in law comes from
There is a family detail that helps to understand why the legal world felt familiar to her from a young age: she comes from a family linked to the legal profession. Her father is a well-known lawyer in Salamanca, and both her mother and brother are also said to be related to the legal field.
So, growing up among robes and civil codes probably influenced her more than any university orientation brochure. When legal deadlines are discussed at Sunday dinner, it would be unusual not to end up enrolling in Law.
An education that didn't stay in the classrooms
Reducing her studies to two degrees would be an understatement, because a good part of her real learning came through activism and local politics.
From a very young age, she got involved in community projects. She even presided over the Jóvenes Vecinos de Salamanca association, collaborates with the Proactiva Open Arms organization, and has protested against evictions. All of this, even if it doesn't appear on an academic transcript, is a school of communication and public debate that is hard to match.
Additionally, she has been involved in local politics, where she appeared on the PSOE municipal lists in Salamanca in 2019 and 2023. Here again, this is another detail that her detractors bring up every time she defends positions aligned with the Government on television. Predictably so, to be fair.
How her studies connect with her television career
To understand why so many people search for her educational background, it's worth looking at the journey those studies allowed her to build.
Her television beginnings were at 7NN, a now-defunct channel. From there, she jumped to the Canal Red project, driven by Pablo Iglesias, and shortly after made the leap to the mainstream on Cuatro al día, where she was introduced as a jurist and political analyst. Then came Todo es mentira and En boca de todos, both on Cuatro.
The major media boost came with her entry into RTVE, where she collaborates on shows like Mañaneros 360, directed by Javier Ruiz, and Malas lenguas, presented by Jesús Cintora. She has also been seen on Espejo Público, on Antena 3. Adding it all up, in a very short time, she has gone from a new face to a regular on discussion panels.
And yes, her direct and often controversial style is what keeps her in the spotlight. That phrase of hers about how “you have to be very stupid or very uninformed” to still believe certain parties sums up well why she generates so much noise. She is not one to mince words.
Languages and other skills
Beyond the university degree, there is another point that often goes unnoticed and is also part of her background: in addition to Spanish, she speaks advanced English. It may not seem like much, but in an analytical environment where sometimes you have to read reports, statements, or international news in their original language, it's a significant advantage.
How old she is and where she was born
To close the circle of her profile, it's worth noting the basics, although there is no absolute consensus here either. She was born in Salamanca, that everyone confirms, but the year varies between 1998 and 1999 according to the source. The most detailed version points to December 6, 1998, which currently places her at around 26 years old.
In any case, the relevant fact is how quickly everything has happened: a twenty-something woman from Salamanca, trained in communication and law, who in just a handful of years has ended up debating politics in prime time. Whether she has a completed Law degree or not, the truth is that her mixed education is precisely the lever that got her into the studios, which is what half the country wanted to know when typing her name into the search engine.
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