Tag: global bachelors program

G&EE recently caught up with Jason Katz (CCAS, Urban Studies, B.A. ‘20) to have a conversation about her time at George Washington University and her 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.

Jason: Hi! My name is Jason Katz, and I graduated from The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) in May 2020 where I pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies with a minor in Spanish Language and Literature. I designed the curriculum for my major through the Special Interdisciplinary Major Program (SIM) under the guidance of a faculty panel. I was also a member of the Global Bachelor’s Program, a research program based in international study. My research focused on the negotiation processes behind large scale modernization efforts in developing cities.

Although I have completed fieldwork that focused on Washington, D.C., most of my urban studies research has been conducted through the Global Bachelor’s Program during a summer study in Berlin, Germany as well as three semesters abroad in Shanghai, China; Santiago, Chile; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

G&EE: How did you hear about the Global Bachelor’s Program and what drew your interest to apply to the program?

Jason: I heard about the Global Bachelor’s Program early in the fall semester of my freshman year as I was waffling between pursuing a dual degree in English and International Affairs or designing a major that focused on urban research. From my reading and travel, I imagined global cities to be spaces where narrative and physical composition mixed and socially-produced space could emerge. I was thrilled at the opportunity to design my own undergraduate curriculum in Urban Studies that could treat global cities around the world as a subject matter, research laboratory, and playground all at once. Three semesters of rucking my way through Asia, Europe, and Latin America seemed like a tremendous opportunity to get the most out of my field of study. 

G&EE: Prior to the Global Bachelor’s Program you spent time in Berlin, Germany. What took you to Berlin and how did that connect to your future experiences on the GBP?

During the Spring of my freshman year, I took a Dean’s Seminar course in Modern Architecture with Professor Stephanie Travis. The Dean’s Seminar courses are really wonderful and provide freshmen in CCAS with the opportunity to take upper level coursework in a variety of subjects.  After the course, Professor Travis mentioned that there was a short-term study abroad program to Berlin, Germany being hosted by the Interior Architecture department. I had a really amazing time on the program and got to meet with a lot of wonderful undergrad and Master's students in the Interior Architecture program. We learned about the rebuilding and reunification of Berlin after World War II and the Cold War through the lens of historical preservation. In addition we made trips to places like the Bauhas, the Rechstag, and the Neues Musem. A of departments do short-term study away programs like this! I really couldn't recommend it enough. The programs offer amazing opportunities to engage with faculty-directed research early in your undergraduate career. 

For my Global Bachelor’s semesters, I continued doing this kind of site-based research. In Shanghai, I engaged in a sociological study of the conversion of historical workers’ communities into boutique commercial centers. During my semester in Santiago de Chile, I performed ethnographic research with a team of architecture students on the successes of a historic auto-constructed neighborhood. Lastly, in Buenos Aires, I completed research on the urbanization of the largest informal settlement in the city. 

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? How did the experience challenge you?  In what ways did this experience impact your following international experiences as well as your time at GW?

I tried reading up on the history of Shanghai before I left for China to get some cultural and historical grounding before I arrived. Even so, I had little awareness of the daily experience of the chaos of Shanghai. It is a wild, roiling city that brews contradiction. Shanghai is a city of 25 million people that had grown so fast by the Spring of 2018 that the government had added a brand new metro line every year for the past decade. February of 2018 was the beginning of the bikeshare craze, where brands like Ofo and Mobike were flooding sidewalks with piles of bicycles five feet high; the year that Wuhan held Placemaking Week, the international urban studies conference; a Spring that was in the middle of the trade war between the U.S. and China, when I had the opportunity to study trade disputes closely with my program director Dr. Steven Suranovic through his course in International Economics.

It was a semester of dramatic changes in China and the world that were felt quite intensely in Shanghai. In order to not get lost in the busyness of the city, I had to grow flexible and adaptable to match the intensity of the pace of life around me.  It was crucial for me to organize a sense of routine and structure in my schedule so that I could budget my time and finances to do all of the wonderful things available! That experience of organizing for spontaneity became an iterative process that I was able to take with me and repeat again in my second and third semesters abroad. 

G&EE: GBP Program 2: Your second semester abroad with GBP was to Santiago, Chile. Why did you choose this particular program for your second international experience? What did you study and did your time there shift your academic or professional interests?

Jason: My second semester abroad was in Santiago, Chile during the Summer/Fall 2018 semester. In order to complete a minor in Spanish Language and Literature, my main criteria for my second semester was that I wanted to be in a Spanish-speaking country that allowed for a high degree of cultural immersion where I could take all of my classes in Spanish. I ended up studying at  Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago de Chile, which is renowned for its Urban Studies faculty.

In 2016, the Chilean architectural firm ELEMENTAL won the Pritzker prize for Architecture. This, along with my love of poet Pablo Neruda, protest-singer Victor Jara and the novelist Roberto Bolaño was enough to spark my interest in the GW Chile program. I was very fortunate to find out that the Resident Director for GW Chile, Lise-Anne Stroeschank, was an incredible resource and facilitator, taking a warm and engaging but distanced approach to helping curate the best individualized abroad experience for her students. Lise-Anne’s husband Mauricio,  also taught an incredible class in the history of Chile that I would highly recommend. 

G&EE: Your third semester abroad with GBP was to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Why did you choose this particular destination for your third international experience? What did you study and did your time there? Did it shift your academic or professional interests? How may it have been different than your prior experiences?

After reading Rayuela by Julio Cortázar my senior year of high school, I travelled to Buenos Aires in 2016 right after graduation, where I stayed in a hostel for a month and worked at a local culture magazine. I always wanted to return to Buenos Aires, and study there for a longer period of time. For my third international experience, I chose to return to Buenos Aires and study at La Universidad Torcuato di Tella in the Architecture faculty. It was a really wonderful and immersive experience as an Urban Studies major because I had the opportunity to work in small teams with architecture students to deal with complex urban problems like heritage preservation, which seeks to preserve and protect features of historical significance in the urban environment. It was a really special time and a perfect way to cap my Global Bachelor’s experience. I got approval from CCAS to stay in Buenos Aires over the summer to conduct research on the urbanization of Villa 31, the largest informal settlement in the city. 

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 and provide a brief anecdote about it.

Jason: I learned how to pack, unpack, and repack my bad really well! I also developed specific tastes regarding objects and accessories that I had given  little thought to before, like toiletry bags, camping rucks, and fanny packs. A really special benefit of moving around so much and having to be in so many different challenging situations is that you get accustomed to maintaining a sense of presence even when everything around you is changing. 

G&EE: You participated in a wide range of mobility programs 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?

Jason: I did a lot of independent traveling after each of my experiences abroad. After my short term study abroad in Berlin, I took a train to Amsterdam, and then travelled to Copenhagen and Prague. 

After Shanghai, I grabbed a duffel, left my six months worth of luggage with some very generous friends from the program (see Spencer’s blog post here) and solo travelled on a two week fling to Seoul (and a visit to the DMZ between South and North Korea), Tokyo (for a visit to the world famous tune auction at the Tsukiji market), Koh Phangan (for snorkeling and the Full Moon Festival), Singapore (where I visited a Michellin Star soya chicken hawker stand), and Hong Kong (for a 4th of July at the world's tallest outdoor bar). 

After the semester in Chile, I hitchhiked and backpacked with a friend for 17 days from Santiago de Chile all the way down to Parque del Torres del Paine in Patagonia, where we hiked the famous W Trail. 

After the semester in Buenos Aires, I went on a week-long Jeep trip through Bolivia. On the way back, we were snowed out of crossing the Andes back to Argentina, and I took the opportunity to go see my host family and in Santiago de Chile from the previous semester and introduce them to my friends. On the way back from Santiago, we were met with the massive blackout that affected 50 million people in the Southern Cone in June of 2016. 20 hours of busses later, we arrived back in Buenos Aires where power was restored. 

G&EE: Reflecting your overall experience on the mobility programs, what are some key observations, takeaways, and pieces of advice you would give to prospective students?

Jason: Each international experience that you have will be intense, and filled with a variety of opportunities to travel and try new things. Six months can seem like a long time, but without structure and perspective, it can fly by in a flash. I would highly recommend making a list of activities that you want to try before you leave for your location, at a wide range of price points and time commitments, and revise it as you experience things, meet and speak with people. Try to set intervals each week to reflect on where you are and have a different activity or goal for every week. This way, you will have some semblance of structure, and be able to timestamp your experience abroad and make tangible the things you want to accomplish. 

Many of these international programs can serve as platforms from which you can build a Fulbright application, or another application for international research. I would highly recommend keeping in touch with your home faculties and making academic connections abroad to see if any of your trips could support international research that relates to your field of study. If applicable, this could be an invaluable experience that could help jumpstart your career or support advanced academic research. 

 

G&EE: Did your experience on GBP influence your decision to return to GW for the Master's of Science in International Business program?

Jason: I designed my undergraduate major with the intention of understanding how global cities operate, cooperate and compete internationally. Through the Global Bachelor’s Program, I was able to research international and inter-jurisdictional policy transfer and the application of best practices across metropolitan areas. For my Global Bachelor’s Capstone, I explored the possibility of transferring a German cohousing model to Northern Virginia to help address a supply gap in the housing market. My research on Amazon’s influence in Northern Virginia clarified for me that additional study into the role that multinational firms play in the global political economy would be tremendously beneficial to me. I came to recognize that an MS in International Business would deepen my understanding of the fractious global landscape of local economic, political and regulatory environments. The MSIB program has also offered the wonderful opportunity to work with Dr. Anna Helm on an independent study for the Spring related to "discursive whitening" in global cities, the manipulation of community narratives in neighborhoods by real estate developers in order to manufacture market value.

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Learn more about the GW Global Bachelor's Program.

G&EE recently caught up with Nadia Mathis (ESIA, B.S. in International Affairs and Asian Studies ‘20) to have a conversation about her time at George Washington University and her 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.

Nadia: Hi! My name is Nadia Mathis, I graduated from the George Washington University (GW) in May 2020 with a BS in International Affairs and Asian Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA). I am currently pursuing an MS in International Business from GW’s School of Business!

During my undergrad, through the Global Bachelor’s Program, I studied in Shanghai, China, and Sydney, Australia. I also did a short-term study abroad program with the GW Institute of Korean Studies in Seoul, South Korea, and interned with the U.S. Department of State in Quito, Ecuador. I am originally from Dallas, Texas, and in my free time, I enjoy hiking and making polymer clay earrings!

G&EE: How did you hear about the Global Bachelor’s Program and what drew your interest to apply to the program?

Nadia: I heard about the Global Bachelor’s Program before even coming to GW as the study abroad opportunities available was a big draw for me to attend the university.

As someone interested in diplomacy and foreign policy, I was drawn to the idea of spending multiple semesters abroad. The Global Bachelor’s Program, in particular, was interesting to me because of the research aspect. Throughout the program, we focus on a global topic and conduct research in each country relevant to that topic. My research, for example, was on government policies towards the sex industry in China and Australia. This research aspect allowed us as students to study a topic in-depth across multiple countries and to meet with people at every stage. Throughout my program, I met with scholars working at think-tanks, universities, as well as people who had experience with my topic at a more personal level. This allowed me to connect my experiences, rather than having three disjointed abroad experiences. During my senior year, I presented my research topic to my cohort.

G&EE: Prior to the Global Bachelor’s Program you spent time in Seoul, South Korea. What took you to Seoul and how did that connect to your future experiences on the GBP?

Nadia: I went to South Korea with the GW Institute of Korean Studies. This two-week program focused on the politics of the two Koreas. Through this program, we spoke with a variety of professionals from the government, multinational corporations such as LG, Samsung, and SK, and NGOs. My interest in studying in South Korea stemmed from a family trip I took there while in high school, to visit my brother who was living north of Seoul. At the time, I was interested in studying U.S.-Korean relations and even studying Korean. This short-term study abroad prepared me to take on the task of living abroad for an entire year through GBP and made me more comfortable with the idea of spending so much of my undergraduate abroad. Part of this was the nature of the program, our days were packed with meetings and events, but we still had enough free time to get to know the city on our own. This program was immensely valuable but it also pushed me to spend more time abroad the next time around.

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? How did the experience challenge you? In what ways did this experience impact your following international experiences as well as your time at GW?

Nadia: I went to China with relatively little in the way of expectations. My experience with China had been mostly academic - through GW courses on U.S.-China relations and in Chinese language courses. As such, I tried to go into the program without expectations. This worked out, as my lack of expectations allowed me to be blown away at every turn – whether from Shanghai’s food scene to China’s geographic diversity. In my courses, this lack of expectations allowed me to go into my courses with a more open mind. One of my favorite things about studying at multiple universities throughout my undergraduate is that it allowed me to study multiple subjects from a variety of perspectives. During my sophomore year, I took a history of U.S. diplomacy in the fall at GW, followed by a history of Chinese diplomacy course in the spring at Fudan. We studied many of the same subjects in these two courses, which allowed me to contrast the perspectives of the U.S. and China on massive events in history, like World War I and the Cold War - and even to draw comparisons to U.S.-China relations today.

A lot in China challenged me, from getting food poisoning while on vacation in the South to the academic rigor – I was enrolled in a full course load and was studying Chinese most days. At the same time, there was a certain level of comfort that GW offered while in China. The ~30 of us students in the program all lived together in one building and we had significant support from GW. This meant that, when something went wrong, we were never far from support. This prepared me, in a way, for my other study abroad experiences – giving me the resources I needed to respond to crises – whether it was dealing with health insurance or a lost passport.

G&EE: Your second semester abroad with GBP was to Sydney, Australia. Why did you choose this particular destination for your second international experience? What did you study and did your time in Sydney shift your academic or professional interests?

Nadia: When it came to choosing a second study abroad, I knew I needed to continue studying Chinese so that I could fulfill degree requirements towards my Asian Studies major. I chose to go to Australia because I knew it was a place I could continue studying Chinese and spending a semester there would allow me the opportunity to see many parts of the country that a short trip would not allow.

While at the University of Sydney, I took courses on East Asian Economics, Tibet-China relations, and Australian history. In many ways, these courses were a continuation of my regional focus in Asia. In my Australian history course, I even wrote a paper on Sydney’s Chinese community in the 1890s. Further, Australia is truly the diplomatic center of the U.S. and China - a dynamic that I cannot say I was aware of before studying there. Diplomatically, Australia has been very close to the U.S. since World War II, but in recent years, Australia has been pivoting towards China on economic issues because of the proximity and trade interdependence.

G&EE: Your third experience with the GBP was to intern in Quito, Ecuador. Where exactly was your internship and with what organization? Did this internship abroad impact your future professional goals?

Nadia: In Quito, Ecuador, I interned with the U.S. Department of State at the economic and commercial section of the Embassy. This internship, in many ways, solidified my professional goals. I knew I wanted to intern with the Department of State from the get-go, but working in the economic section was a bit of a surprise for me! Before my internship, I had mostly focused on the political side of things. However, in the economic section, I was able to do research on the economic relationship between Ecuador and China and learn more about U.S. objectives in that realm. While in Ecuador, I worked on a variety of projects, including the Ecuador Country Commercial Guide, Chinese investment in Ecuador, and Ecuadorian import standards. This sparked my interest in trade policy – which led me to take a trade policy internship at the Asia Society and now, to work in the Global Policy division of the Association of American Publishers in D.C. while pursuing my Masters of Science in International Business at GW’s School of Business. While I still hope to become a foreign service officer one day, this internship clarified my professional interest in the subsection of trade policy.

The Department of State has internship opportunities every semester and each summer. For the summer internships, the applications close the September of the year before! Most embassies take student interns in each of the offices - political, economic, consular, and public affairs. For more info: https://careers.state.gov/interns-fellows/student-internships/.

G&EE: Cultural immersion leads to the enhancement of transferable skills (flexibility, teamwork, leadership, listening, communication, problem-solving, critical thinking). Reflecting on your experiences abroad, what are one or two transferable skills you improved and provide a brief anecdote about it.

Nadia: Before studying abroad in Shanghai, China, I traveled through Thailand and Vietnam by myself. Nearing the end of my trip,

I got on an overnight train to travel from northern Vietnam to southern Thailand only to get stopped at the border because my visa did not allow me to leave Vietnam by train. Despite debating with the train conductor and border officers in broken Mandarin, I was not able to get back on the train.

After spending a night at the train station, I managed to convince a taxi driver to drive me to another border crossing, five kilometers away, where I could cross by foot. Six hours later, I exited Vietnam and entered China marking the start of my study abroad experience. Despite these, self-imposed problems, I was able to communicate with officers in a foreign country and foreign language, reaching my final destination. Plans often go awry, but it is important to be flexible to any changes in your plans.

Additionally, through my global research topic, I interacted with a variety of people in China, Australia, Ecuador, and the U.S. on my topic. The sensitive nature of my topic, sex trafficking, meant that I had to balance getting information about my topic with local expectations of propriety. This often meant listening, allowing others to lead the conversation, and share what they were comfortable with. It also meant being told I was wrong concerning some of my preconceptions.

G&EE: You participated in a wide range of international (mobility) programs 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?

Nadia: While I love Shanghai, the city-ness of it can be stifling. As such, the other students in my program and I took advantage of every long weekend we had to get out of the city. On one of these trips, we went to Yangshuo, a small city in the south. One of us was a GW trails guide, and so planned a day-long hiking trip during which we summited a small mountain called Xinping. I didn’t know it then, but this sparked an interest in climbing small mountains - an interest that has stayed with me. A few months later, while traveling in Japan with my little sister, I summited Mount Fuji at sunrise – a sight which later brought me to the summit of Mt Kosciusko, Australia’s tallest mountain, and to the two tallest mountains I’ve climbed, Ruminahui and Pichincha, in Ecuador.

G&EE: Reflecting your overall experience on the international (mobility) programs, what are some key observations, takeaways, and pieces of advice you would give to prospective students?

Nadia: I could tell you that I planned my abroad experiences with precision to maximize my studies of U.S.-China relations but that isn’t exactly true. As my time abroad progressed, I learned more about my needs as a student and as a person and adapted my plan to fit these.

This meant focusing my internship applications on Latin America when I realized how quickly my Spanish language skills were declining, and it meant studying abroad in Australia, where there would be less of a culture shock, after spending the semester in China.

 

It’s easy to idealize studying abroad, but at the end of the day moving to a new place, alone, is tough. There are good days and bad days but it's about making the most of the experience as a whole (even if that means spending a weekend watching Netflix).

To prospective students:

1. Take advantage of the funding GW offers. From the STAAR Scholarship, FOFAC, and KACIF, I could not have studied abroad in four places without the help I received from each of these.
2. You don’t have to be in the Global Bachelor’s Program to intern abroad, but you do have to start applying early. The Department of State internship, in particular, has a September due date – 9 months before the summer starts!
3. Find a way to spend time with the local students where you are – whether this means joining a club, working, or living with a host family. Every person does this differently, but it is easy to spend all your time with Americans.

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Learn more about the GW Global Bachelor's Program.

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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