Welcome to the first of many blog posts with bad puns as the title! My name is Julia Podvin and I am a junior at the University of Pittsburgh. I was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA until my family moved to Pittsburgh during the middle of my freshman year of high school. I instantly fell in love with the city and decided to stay for four more years.
At Pitt, I study Finance and Accounting with a minor in Economics and a certificate in Business Analytics. I am a member of a professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi and a social sorority Delta Zeta. Both of these organizations allow me to be more active on campus and give back to the community. Also during the school year I am a teaching assistant for Quantitative Methods. I teach excel to students during recitations and help them with homework during my office hours. My involvement on campus has made my college experience worthwhile.
I have also had two internships during the summers while at school. The first was the summer after my freshman year. I worked at Management Science Associates where I was a Client Relationship Specialist Intern. While there, I got to put my business knowledge to the test when interacting with clients and creating deliverables for my team. The summer after my sophomore year I worked at PNC Bank as a Treasury Management Intern. I was able to see the innerworkings of a large bank and learn how companies receive and pay money. I am also very excited to have an internship with Deloitte as a Risk and Financial Advisory this summer after my study abroad experience.
I am beyond thrilled to be studying abroad this summer especially because it allows me to visit three new countries. I will be going on a Panther Program, Pitt in Prague and Krakow, that also includes a visit to Budapest. I chose this program because it focuses on economics, a subject I am minoring in. I know that these cities were uniquely impacted by World War II and I can’t wait to find out the how and why. Another reason I chose this program was because it visits multiple locations. The only time I have been to Europe was to Germany for two weeks after my freshman year doing the Plus3 Program. I loved the experience, but I just wanted to travel and see all the other countries. Pitt in Prague and Krakow allows me to study what I am interested in while also introducing me to multiple new cultures.
Studying abroad will enhance my academics but also my personal and professional life. Becoming a more culturally aware person will help in my future interactions with those whose backgrounds vary from mine. I hope to pursue a career in consulting where I will be working with many people from differing backgrounds. A study abroad experience will give me practice being thrown into a new environment and still have to conduct myself in a professional manner to achieve a goal. My study abroad experience will shape me to become a better person and business leader. I cannot wait to Czech out Europe once again!