Meet Marian Quevedo
Senior Marketing Major
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Adapting myself to this world that is being transformed by globalization....”
During my last semester I had the incredible experience of doing a study abroad. Not only did I enjoy the experience of traveling and studying in a different location, but I could keep advancing in my degree plan by taking business courses that got revalidated at UTEP. Going abroad is an incredible experience because you get to experience things you have never experienced before and you get the opportunity to see similarities and differences by comparing other cultures to your own.
The program I attended was the program of my dreams. It is called Semester at Sea and it was a voyage of three and a half months around the world. The ship went to 10 different countries and we studied while at sea travelling between countries. There were about 700 students from universities all around the United States. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Some of these countries were countries that I had always dreamed of visiting. The tour included Brazil, Namibia, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Japan, Hawaii, and Costa Rica. From Malaysia I went to Singapore, and I was surprised to learn that it has very low levels of corruption and that has led the island to function very well and be very active in business. It also has very strict laws; for example, there were fines for jay walking, chewing gum, or not flushing the toilet. Every place had its interesting side. I was able to learn historic and cultural aspects of each country while at the same time trying other activities and having fun in each country.
Throughout the journey I discovered that many of these countries are very poor. Although Capetown in South Africa is very modern, the periphery of the city is very poor. I was able to visit one of the projects, Operation Hunger, that helps malnourished children in those areas by providing them with food and weighting them periodically. I also saw a lot of poverty in Vietnam and India. I would like to some day be able to contribute to projects such as Operation Hunger that would help needy people in countries like these.
From the business point of view, I could see how multinational corporations (MNCs) are expanding. Along with my traveling, I took some international courses in which we discussed globalization a lot. I could see many aspects of globalization during my journey. Just for an example, I remember seeing American brands such as American Eagle, Victoria Secret and Abercrombie in Vietnam, because many MNCs manufacture their products in places like Vietnam to get that extra profit from the cheap labor. I also was able to see how MNCs adapt for the different countries in which they operate. I did a project for my International Management class about McDonalds. I visited a McDonalds in several countries to see what differences they had and how they adapted to each culture. I noted very interesting things, such as that in Singapore they had a burger with wasabi. In India they did not have beef in their products since the people there consider the cow as being sacred; instead of the Big Mac they had the McVeggie. Being a student in business I found that knowledge of how companies adapt to each country very interesting. It is something I can apply later on in my career.
I would recommend to students to go and study abroad. The world that is outside our daily environment is amazing. It’s an amazing experience. I loved to get to know other cultures and their traditions, meet different people, and see other beautiful places. I loved people telling me about their culture and I loved to tell them about my own while they listened with curiosity. Finally, I think it is a very good way to broaden our view and open our minds to different situations and learn to respect people different from us.
In my journey around the world, I became very conscious of the amazing learning experience that we have here at CoBA. My interaction with this College and its teachers has really made me a person capable of adapting myself to this world that is being transformed by globalization. It is shaping me into a person who is able to interact and understand different cultures, and also, it has provided me with the skills necessary to overcome challenges in a diverse and dynamic scenario.
I would recommend students get informed on study abroad opportunities so they can perhaps experience something like this. I think it is totally worth it!