Nithya Borra (left) got to interact with diverse cultures during her internship in Singapore.
Eckerle hopes his experience will be a boost in landing a job in the region someday, but noted that even if people don’t want to work abroad, they’re still getting important skills from studying abroad. He cited being able to work well on teams with international co-workers.
Kamryn Cochran, a finance and political science major, valued the interpersonal skills she built working for a nonprofit in Singapore. She also felt it was helpful to learn about the different political and social structures. How businesses work in the U.S. doesn’t necessarily translate to abroad, she said.
“Being in Singapore gave me a better understanding about the types of differences,” she said.
The island city state is an international blend, so students who went there were able to interact with a broad range of nationalities.
“I was able to work alongside people that were from the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, so, many different countries in that Southeast Asia region,” said Borra, who spent her time with a multinational company that does work certifying green buildings. “And they all come from very diverse cultures.”
After graduation, she plans to take a job at a bank in New York City with a workforce from around the world, so “that skill that I was able to gain in Singapore is transferable to me being able to … work alongside people that are all different ages, all different backgrounds.”
Looking ahead: Students anticipate the upcoming trip
“I’m very excited about the internship because I think I’ll be able to apply everything I learned about marketing and advertising toward my work,” Kaur said. “If you don’t apply it, and you just learn theory, theory again and again, then it just falls through. You’re just learning it for the tests.”
Hazel, who is also studying Mandarin, is drawn to Singapore as an international business hub. He enjoys history and culture and is still exploring career possibilities, so he sees this as a way to learn about job options in Asia and Australia.
“I’m excited to learn about the hospitality side from a different country,” Scheck said. “It’s important to travel and work in other countries to see how different it might be, and apply their skills to what I’m going to be doing here.”
Australia has been on Scheck’s mind for a very long time. She recalled becoming enamored with the country in a third grade class project.
“Sydney’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said.
Of the upcoming trip, she said, “I’m very nervous, because it’s a brand new experience … but I’ve done it before, and I know that I can do it again.” (She went to Greece as a first-year student.)
For Kaur, the discomfort and anxiety of a new setting is a bonus.
“I think that’s when you grow the most, when you’re really uncomfortable,” she said.