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How can students who want to succeed in international business get the right experience to impress potential employers? Being able to show that they’ve got a spirit of adventure, flexibility, and the ability to learn in unfamiliar surroundings help set them off from the crowd. A long way from home, Lucy Gutierrez and Alina Isabel Garcia are positioning themselves for success anywhere. And they’re having a great time in the process. How to say “can-do” in a third language Though she didn’t speak French, had never been away from her family, and had only left the United States to visit Nicaragua, her native country, Lucy Gutierrez eagerly accepted a Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE) scholarship from the College of Business Administration’s Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) to study in the French town of Saint Etienne. She’s one of about thirty international students—from Germany, Spain, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Czech Republic, England, Scotland, and the United States (Tennessee, Arkansas, and FIU’s Sara Santelli)—joining approximately 500 French students at the college.
“I thought I’d be able to experience things that I would never be able to in familiar surroundings and always commuting to and from school,” said Gutierrez, an accounting major who will graduate in Spring 2005. She’s not sure about her career—accounting, financial planning, or maybe even advertising—but is sure that her experiences will be a big help. “I’ll continue to learn French and will be able to communicate in three languages,” she said. “Also, I now have lived in a different country and can adapt to different cultures, which gives me an advantage over somebody who has lived only in the United States.” Despite the academic demands, including taking four classes, Gutierrez has ample time to travel on the weekends. She’s been to Paris, Nice, and Monaco, trips she describes as “easy and often very inexpensive,” and has reserved flights for London, Spain, Rome, and Geneva. She’s also able to enjoy weekly social activities put on by the school’s student organization. “I would definitely encourage any student to participate in a study-abroad program because it is a truly wonderful experience. We get to learn about a different culture, travel, and meet new people,” Gutierrez said. “And we get a lot of support from CIBER program coordinator, Sonia Verdu, and her counterpart at Saint Etienne.” She does miss some aspects of home: her family, the big-city life of Miami, and conveniences, including driving, since everyone in Saint Etienne walks. And she’s already looking forward to her first meal in Miami: a Nachos Bell-Grande at Taco Bell. Widening the professional network
Alina Isabel Garcia also hails from Nicaragua, which she has visited, along with Mexico and islands in the Caribbean. Like Gutierrez, she recognized the value of international study and opted for a program at Universidad Veracruzana, located in Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz. “I know that my future employer will seek a candidate who can adapt in a different environment, take risks, and learn at the same time,” said Garcia, who will graduate in spring 2005 with a degree in finance. Mexico caught her interest during a summer internship with Merrill Lynch, Private Client Group, where she quickly realized the business opportunities. “Ninety percent of the clients of the two financial advisers I worked with were wealthy Mexicans with U.S. investments,” she said. She has set her sights on a career in the financial industry with a focus on the Latin American market, specifically Mexico, and is confident that her study abroad will prepare her well. “By taking my business classes in Spanish, learning the business jargon, and discovering how Mexicans run businesses, I will be able to relate more to Hispanic/Mexican clients,” she said. “This experience will open doors for me not only because I am studying in a Latin American country, but also because I’m absorbing another country’s language and customs. In addition, I’m meeting other foreign students who can become business contacts in the future.”
She’s also getting to enjoy life in a small town, a big change from the two places she knows best—Los Angeles and Miami—and one she thought would be “cool.” Although studying is important—she takes four courses, all taught in Spanish, and averages four hours per day of class work with a small group of classmates—Garcia has found other priorities, too. “Traveling is a valuable aspect of studying abroad,” she said. She has been to Mexico City twice, Veracruz, Acapulco, Guanajuato, Leon, and Chipas. “Your eyes open up to another world, and possibilities now become endless.” While she looks forward to her mother’s cooking and to having a car again, she knows that she’ll return to Mexico for business and pleasure. “There’s a lot to learn outside the United States, and you become more open and understanding once you've ventured beyond your comfort zone,” Garcia said. To find out more about FIPSE opportunities, visit http://www.fiu.edu/~fipse/.
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