Hello everyone!  I’m Julianna and I am a rising junior in the College of Business Administration.  This summer, I am participating in the Global Business Institute in Sydney, Australia for six weeks.  I am completing my undergraduate degree with two concentrations/majors: marketing and supply chain management.  In addition, I plan on completing two certificates, similar to minors through the business school, a certificate in leadership and ethics, and business analytics.  I am also pursuing a minor in LCJS, similar to administration of justice or legal studies.  I plan on graduating with the honors distinction.  In order to complete all my credits and stay sane, I needed to spice up my studies.  What better way to do that than halfway around the world?  While in Sydney, I will be completing an internship and taking a class to fill six credits over the six week time frame.  I just started my internship with a company called Sandwalk Partners.  They are a company specializing in business development and strategy for tourist and cultural attractions organizations.  I work twenty hours a week with the company.  For the rest of the week, I am preparing and taking my class, Australian Cinema.  Although I do not have a strong interest in cinematography, I believe the class will help my understanding of the culture and present me with new perspectives on how to analyze film.

After my travels last summer through CBA, I knew I wanted to continue to explore while in college.  My previous program was with a small group of students and the time was spent guided by a professor.  This time around, I wanted the freedom to work, explore, and study by myself.  Reflecting on my past experiences abroad, I’ve come into this trip with some new goals.  First, I want to acquire a better understanding of international marketing and supply chain issues in different cultures and geographic areas.  Second, I wanted to become comfortable being autonomous in a foreign country and venturing out to explore the local culture.  I chose an English-speaking program so that I could focus more on meeting people and communicating freely.  Thirdly, I was excited to create and build relationships with students from Pitt and other partner universities.  In the future beyond graduation, I hope to be working in either Marketing or Supply Chain, and ideally for a multinational company.  Regardless of the next few years though, I plan on making the most of my time here in Sydney.  I will keep you updated with all the experiences, everything from the funny and embarrassing to the heartfelt!