Living in London has truly been a dream come true. Busy! But, definitely a dream.
During my first week of classes at CAPA, I quickly learned the fast paced nature of the city and the details of my semester’s course load. As a marketing major, most of my courses are business oriented. However, two of my courses have international assignments, or Globally Networked Learning projects. These projects are unlike any I have ever experienced in the past, as they require us to work with CAPA’s study abroad students in other countries. My partners for the project are living down under (in Australia) for the semester. My hope is to learn how to efficiently research business theories to apply them productively in a report, and in collaboration with my team members across the world! I am excited to see the businesses we chose to study and I’m interested to learn how we will overcome the difficulty of distance in order to create the best reports yet! This is just one example of the unique learning opportunities Pitt’s Study Abroad programs can offer its students!
Professionally, I hope I will be able to leave London with a more specific career path in mind, through my time working for Platform Creative, a creative agency specializing on brand management, public relations, and design. Marketing gives me the chance to work across numerous fields post-graduation. While I love the unlimited possibilities at hand, I have been working to narrow this scope of options to see which sector I fit in best. Public Relations has intrigued me for as long as I can remember. I am interested to see how I will like working within an international Public Relations firm and hopeful I will become more comfortable with creating fashion pitches to communicate with editors multinationally. As a bespoke agency, Platform Creative uses intelligent social media, celebrity endorsement, and editorial shoots to help bring brand awareness to its clientele; and I am eager to watch the magic happen behind the scenes and learn from first-hand experience daily!
Personally, I cannot wait to grow to become a more culturally aware student and worker. By being able to study abroad in such a diverse global city, I know I will face challenges that will help expand my understanding of the world around me and the places I call home. My time thus far has been a whirlwind of making new friends from all over the country, learning from British professors and supervisors, adapting to using a new type of transportation, and making my way to every neighborhood, museum, and artistic venue in London. This semester will be busy, bustling with new adventures, memories to create, and no time left to spare. Samuel Johnson said it best, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” I couldn’t agree more.