Was international business always your ideal career path?

I originally started as an education major, and I took two education classes my first semester. But I wanted to do more with Spanish and be able to travel. After talking to Career Services, the option for me was to study international business. And then I got into contact with Joy Pahl (Business), who became my new advisor. She helped ensure I was on the right path.

Joy and I often talked through ideas of what I could do in the future. And after I got back from studying abroad in Ecuador, I mentioned the idea of going to grad school and she wrote me a letter of recommendation. We've talked in her office just about life and anxieties that come from what is next in life; she's kind of eased those a little bit for me. We've had a very personal relationship. She's somebody that will always be in my corner. 

How were you able to mold your education to have the experiences you desired?

I worked in the on-campus store Discoveries International as part of my Intro to International Business course my first year. The store sells items from SNC's study abroad destinations, with all profits going to a nonprofit organization. Then this last year, I again worked with the store, and I was able to recognize what is needed in a business, how they function and how much I had learned since my first year.

Through my study abroad program at SNC, I was able to immerse myself in the Spanish language. I studied abroad in the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, living with a host family. I feel like that experience forced me to grow as an individual. I'm more independent and just stronger in my decision-making abilities. I learned to communicate with different cultures. I learned how to stand up for myself – being a female, I feel it was harder to have my ideas be heard, and I was not always comfortable participating in class. My experiences abroad have made me more assertive and more collaborative.

Where do you see yourself after your master's program?

My program is spent mostly in Spain, but one-quarter of it will be in Cape Town, South Africa. It gives me an opportunity to learn more about business in Europe and have the opportunity to immerse myself in another, wholly unique culture in South Africa. I will be able to say that I know how to do business in North America, and I've studied business and lived in South America, Europe and Africa.

I would love to work abroad for a company, either based in the United States and be sent abroad, or for a company located in another country. Our world is becoming more globalized as we speak, and I want to be a part of it instead of being left behind. And obviously I love to travel and learn about different cultures. I know I'm a leader, and I would to be able to lead at an international level, connecting with people along the way.