G&EE recently caught up with Spencer Bracey (GWSB, BBA '20) to have a conversation about his time at George Washington School of Business and his participation on three international experiences as part of GW's Global Bachelor's Program. Read more on the conversation just below -
G&EE: Tell us (and our readers) a little bit about yourself.
Spencer: My name is Spencer Bracey and I graduated from George Washington University School of Business in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s in International
Business and a minor in Philosophy. While an undergraduate I had the opportunity to participate in three international programs to Shanghai, China; Paris, France; and Cordoba, Argentina. I also almost traveled to Kigali, Rwanda through the graduate level short-term study away program (STAP) Global Business Project: Impact Investments in Rwanda with Professor Reid Click. I graduated magna cum laude and I was inducted into Phi Sigma Tau, a national philosophy honors fraternity. A bit about me personally: I was born and initially raised in Santa Clarita, California and I spent the latter half of my youth in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. I have always been massively into film and music, and I like to spend my free time running, songwriting, and reading. I would describe myself as a lifelong learner and an all-around decent guy.
G&EE: How did you hear about the Global Bachelor’s Program (GBP) and what drew your interest to apply to the program?
Spencer: I initially heard about the Global Bachelor’s Program (GBP) during a study abroad fair hosted by GW’s Office for Study Abroad in the first few weeks of the fall term my freshman year. At the time I didn’t understand the depth of the program or really have any interest; that was, until a fateful and innocuous office hour visit later the same semester. I met a mutual friend outside the professor's office and he told me about the GBP: How you spend a semester in Shanghai and then two subsequent semesters abroad. I was astounded by the possibility of going outside of a traditional four-year college experience. Growing up, my family did some traveling in the United States but we never really traveled abroad, with the exception of a two week foray to Europe the summer after I graduated from high school. Lean, living out of a backpack and eating $2 baguettes for breakfast and lunch was the type travel I had experienced.
Hearing about the GBP, I was immediately excited by the possibility of being able to live and learn abroad. I knew for me I gained a ton of perspective from just that two week trip to Europe, and I was thrilled by the prospect of doing that again for a large part of my undergraduate career.
G&EE: Your first semester abroad with GBP was to Shanghai, China. What were your expectations for this program before you departed and how did they change? In what ways did this experience impact your following international experiences as well as your time at GW?
Spencer: Prior to traveling to Shanghai, I tried to hold as little expectations as possible. From talking to faculty members and the previous GBP cohort, I gathered that Shanghai would be like no other place I had previously visited. Their advice was duly noted.
I knew the city was fast paced and it proved just that. There is no comparison to the speed of life in Shanghai. I don’t believe any other city, including New York, Tokyo, or Bangkok is as fast paced or has more to do. I have a million stories from my semester in Shanghai: from weaving through traffic on bicycles as my main form of transportation around the city, to eating the world’s best ($2) dumplings only two-minute walk away from my housing, and days spent wandering around the Shanghai French Concession, a residential neighborhood known famous for housing expats from around the World.
My expectations of Shanghai changed as I started living in the city. What I found myself learning how to do was to build a community in a place unlike anywhere I had been before; flexibility was everything. I learned how to build a routine when I was entirely out of my element. I learned how to communicate through both a cultural and a language barrier. I remember one time I was trying to find a guitar shop with a friend. For the life of us we couldn’t find it. Eventually we stopped into a small calligraphy shop and through the WeChat translation app we talked with the owner who helped to point us in the correct direction of the guitar shop. During this encounter my friend and I learned some calligraphy and taught a few English words to the owner.
I would define my time in Shanghai as a semester where I learned to thrive in an entirely different culture. Despite the language barriers, the cultural differences, and being entirely uprooted from everything I had experienced in my life up until that point, I learned to be flexible, and build a routine and a sense of community with the people around me.
G&EE: Your second semester abroad with GBP was to Paris, France on the Fall Business Program. Why did you choose this program for your second international experience? What did you study and did your time in Paris shift your academic interests?
Spencer: I chose Paris as my second international experience for two different reasons. One, I visited Paris for a few days during my pre-college European trip with my brother. We were only there for four days and I knew there was much more of the city to see. Two, I needed a program that would allow me to fulfill academic credits towards my degree. One challenge of studying abroad for an entire semester is to ensure that all your class credit will transfer back. As a business student, I knew that the GW Fall Business Program at Sciences Po (Paris Campus) was the best choice. Also, I like cheese and (learned to like) wine, so it was an easy decision.
I was profoundly impacted intellectually and professionally from my time in Paris; the pace of life there was much slower in a purposeful way. The culture heavily emphasizes work-life balance, long meals, and lots of walking. This in a lot of ways was the complete opposite of Shanghai. Where Shanghai was fast paced, gave me many bike rides and spicy dumplings, Paris allowed me to slow down, enjoy long walks and red wine. While in Paris, I had time to reflect on what was really important to me: a between academic and work-life balance.
There were countless weekends where I would wake up and I take a day to tour museums by myself. In conjunction with this, I met some people that had perspective unlike anyone I had met even to this day. From conversations with these people, I had the chance to reflect and reevaluate a lot of cornerstone beliefs that I had always held but never questioned. I explored a passion for philosophy, and started prioritizing putting people first in business.
Additionally, I added philosophy minor to my degree and I also switched from finance to international business. The second switch was part of the large realization of the interconnectedness of the world, and the necessity to take an international perspective in business. These changes were the foundation for who I am and what I value today: more interpersonal relationships, time to reflect on the nuances in life, and take time to pursue my passions.
G&EE: Your third experience abroad with GBP was to intern in Argentina. Where exactly was your internship and with what organization? Please provide some background information on the organization you interned with and the work you completed. Did this internship abroad impact your future professional goals?
Spencer: My third experience abroad was an internship organized through AIESEC and was located in Cordoba, Argentina. 
AIESEC is an intermediary of sorts for students looking to volunteer internationally. They connect non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world with people who are looking to volunteer and engage with NGOs. I was drawn to this program as I had never really explored the NGO space. Most of my experience in my undergraduate career was based around for-profit business. Prior to my internship through AIESEC, I had completed a semester course in Capitol Advertising, which I really liked. However, I wanted to take the intensive marketing experience from that course and juxtapose with nonprofit work.
While in Cordoba, I had the opportunity to work at two separate NGOs, one with an Educare-type program and the second with an environmental organization dedicated to projects within Cordoba.
This experience was huge for me as it showed the possibility of an alternative to the routes I had been deciding between for my career. Prior to my experience in Argentina, I had largely only been considering consulting or marketing work, and this internship allowed me to pursue nonprofit work in conjunction with this.
G&EE: Upon returning to GW for your senior year, you decided to participate in the short-term study away program: Global Business Project: Investment Impacts in Rwanda. Tell us why you applied to participate in this program. What was the project and client you worked with throughout the course? As an undergraduate participating in this graduate-level program, what unique aspect did you contribute to the class?
Spencer: When I returned to GW, I applied for and got into Global & Experiential Education’s (G&EE) short-term study away program: Global Business Project: Impact Investments in Rwanda with Dr. Reid Click for the spring of my senior year. I had an interest in impact investing because of a deeper passion for using business as a mechanism for generating substantive change in people's lives. While it does not take the place of substantive systemic changes, impact investing does provide the capital that is missing from traditional lenders. Overall, it was appealing to me because of the human aspect and that the crux of impact investing is the impact (on people), which is what I am interested in for my future career.
Due to COVID-19, travel to Rwanda was cancelled over spring break. However, my team and I were still able to continue the course and generate a white paper for our impact investing client, Aser Capital LLC. As an undergraduate business student in this graduate course, I felt that I could provide a different academic and international perspective to the team. While the graduate students in the course brought in a certain level of prior professional experience, I was able to draw upon my previous group projects as well as research frameworks (e.g., PESTLE and Porter’s 5 Forces) from my undergraduate business experience.
G&EE: Cultural immersion leads to the enhancement of transferable skills (flexibility, team work, leadership, listening, communication, problem solving, critical thinking). Reflecting on your experiences abroad, what are one or two transferable skills you improved?
Spencer: Flexibility and problem solving were really crucial factors for me. They are two skills that I developed most heavily, and they are among the most transferable skills on the planet.
The simple fact of the matter is that when you spend a lot of time abroad, you realize you have very little control over anything going on around you. However, what this means is that the stuff you can control, you pay real close attention to. This is stuff like your attitude, you research, and your ability to roll with the punches (i.e., flexibility).
When you are keenly aware of how little control you have over situations it also teaches you how to problem solve on the fly. If you have been traveling for 36 hours with multiple layovers, have only had three hours of sleep, and are still able keep a level head to get yourself back home, a lot of the other more boring problems in your life become a lot easier to solve.
G&EE: You participated in a wide range of mobility programs (Program in Shanghai, Paris, and internship in Argentina) all around the world! Do you have a favorite memory or experience in all of your travels? Did you travel anywhere else during your free time?
Spencer: I don’t have a single favorite memory, but I can give you enough fragments to hopefully inspire the desire to travel: Hiking mt Fuji, touring the world famous bathhouses of Budapest, spending the day touring the Louvre Museum in Paris, finding the best jazz scenes in Shanghai, swimming under starlight in Malaysia surrounded by glowing algae, finding an old english language book shop in Buenos Aires, visiting the “lost in translation” bar for my birthday in Tokyo, meeting world famous chefs in an speakeasy in Hong Kong, and having the best meal of my life in each one of these places!
G&EE: Reflecting on your overall experience on the (Program in Shanghai, Paris, and internship in Argentina) , what are some key observations, takeaways, and pieces of advice you would give to prospective students?
Spencer: I have two pieces of advice. The first, would be to definitely learn the language (or some basic phrases) of your host destination , A few months of consistent Duo Lingo or Babel will help ease the transition to full immersion. 
The second, would be to take time and plan out what you want to do during the Global Bachelor’s Program or even just your semester abroad. However, don’t get too worried about over planning though, if you find yourself in a sticky spot. Almost anytime you find yourself in a tough situation where there are too many competing factors, or maybe a deadline, or whatever else your experiences lead you to and you feel yourself getting overwhelmed: relax. You’d surprise yourself with what you can do.
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