Marshall students go overseas
Over spring break, students from the Marshall School of Business traveled to different countries across the globe through the Global Leadership Program and Learning about International Commerce program.
Both programs are only open to first-year students and aim to guide them in understanding different types of business strategies in international commerce. LINC is a seven-week course that teaches students about international business concepts.
There are aspects such as the economy, the culture and the political situation, that are all taken into account in class before the students go to one of the 13 locations that are provided.
“Students are given that information and then, slowly it builds a foundation so that when they are there, meeting with the different companies, they have a background,” said LINC coordinator Sean O’Connell.
During the seven-week program, while the students are still on campus, classes revolve around concepts regarding cultural awareness and the economic state of the country. Students are engaged in conversations with professors who have taught in the program multiple times.
Jason Hill, a freshman majoring in business administration with an emphasis in cinematic arts, explained that he related to his professors when he traveled to Santiago, Chile. According to O’Connell, the LINC program has not changed in the past 10 years, but the companies and the focus of the programs have.
Stephanie Chang, a freshman majoring in business administration, traveled to New Delhi, India over spring break and said that her time in class helped her throughout new experiences in New Delhi.
“A lot of the time that we spent in class before the trip, it was about being culturally aware and understanding that the businesses we were going to be visiting weren’t traditional Western businesses,” Chang said.
Though they did not meet with other business students in the area, there were interactive events that the USC students enjoyed.
Chang especially enjoyed the meeting with representatives from Indigo Airlines because they treated the USC students as college students who were interested in learning more about business.
“Seeing how not all successful companies are American is a huge takeaway for me,” Chang said.
Bella Meschini, a freshman majoring in business administration, also traveled to India and enjoyed the activities that USC planned, as well as the cultural sights, such as the Taj Mahal. There was also a company visit, which combined both.
“One of the company visits that we made was to a dance company,” Mischini said. “Their mission is to keep the Indian culture alive through traditional dance, so that was really interesting too.”
During their time in the different countries, students lived in hotels in safe areas and were given the opportunity to experience new cultures.
“It kind of helps me with looking at the bigger picture,” Hill said. “The market is bigger than just the LA market or the American market … friends and I toured a lot of the city; we climbed a hill; we visited a zoo, toured the town [and] we tried a lot of new restaurants…”
The LINC program also offers first year students the opportunity to visit countries, such as Japan and Australia, in May.