Hello everyone, my name is David Kritzik and I am a Sophomore here at the University of Pittsburgh. I will be traveling to Cochabamba, Bolivia over spring break this year. I was born and raised in San Diego, California so I am no stranger to long plane rides! My first time going to Pittsburgh was when I visited in the fall of 2018. I immediately fell in love with the city and the school and have had no regrets in my decision to come to Pitt. As much as I have grown to love this university and city, I am excited to be able to travel and experience a whole new culture in Bolivia.
As mentioned previously, I am currently in the second semester of my Sophomore year and am enrolled in Pitt Business. Here at Pitt Business, I am studying Business Information Systems and Marketing with a certificate in Digital Media. I am always looking for opportunities for grow academically in my preferred fields and try to take advantage of as many as I can. Out of all the experiences through Pitt Business I have been able to take part of, like travelling to New York for multiple site visits, I have not been able to do a consulting project. I am excited for this experience because I would like to see if consulting is something I would like to pursue in the future.
On campus, my main involvement is Phi Beta Lambda which is a professional business organization focused service and professional development. After being accepted into PBL I had the opportunity to run for position of Vice President of Public Relations which I am currently serving as right now. As Vice President of Public Relations, I help with recruitment, design the apparel, and organize and help write articles for our semesterly newsletter, The Eagle. While I have gotten plenty of professional and networking experiences out of Phi Beta Lambda, one of my biggest takeaways so far is realizing all of the fantastic opportunities available for us as students. I have been able to talk to many members about their abroad experiences, specifically their experiences on the GSL Bolivia trip. After talking to members about their life changing experiences in Bolivia, I realized this was the program for me. Not only would I be able to further my academic goals by gaining valuable experiences, but I would also be able to see some of the change I was implementing when we travel to Bolivia.
Traveling to Bolivia won’t be my first academically focused abroad experience. Last summer, I had the opportunity to spend two and half months in Israel where I was able to complete a marketing internship with a local logistics startup called Bringoz. While I was able to gain valuable professional experience, I was also able to work closely with Israelis on a daily basis. I learned a great deal about how to become aware of cultural differences when communicating and working. For example, Israelis don’t sugar coat anything. If I made a mistake, I would be made aware of it immediately. I knew adjusting to a brand-new culture would take time, so I researched cultural norms in the workplace in Israel before I traveled so I could be more aware of what I could expect. While nothing can prepare you for a new culture better than experiencing it firsthand, I am looking forward to communicating with my peers and professors who had previously been to Bolivia on this program, so I am able to be the most productive for my client while I am in country.
The GSL Bolivia program is focused on consulting for CEOLI, a non-profit organization in Bolivia which is focused on working with Bolivians with disabilities and helping them through various educational programs and other opportunities. Specifically, we will be working to help CEOLI generate revenue so they can work towards being financially stable. CEOLI generates a lot of its revenue by selling greeting cards created by current students and alumni. One of the ways we plan on helping generate a sustainable revenue stream for CEOLI is to increase these card sales. We are also planning to develop a business plan for a juice stand which will sell juice and snacks to those who attend the classes as well as spend time at the pool which CEOLI has on-site.
I decided to take this course because I had heard so much about it from past students. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get an abroad experience as well as get the opportunity to work closely with multiple clients. Personally, I hope to have a fantastic experience in Bolivia in which I am able to expand my cultural awareness. I really enjoy travelling and the opportunity to go to Bolivia was not one I wanted to pass up. Academically, I am very excited to work on a team with fellow motivated students. By talking to recruiters and throughout my own experience in the workplace, I realized how important it is to have solid teamwork skills because it will be essential for me in my future endeavors. I have really enjoyed working with my team so far and can’t wait to continue it in the future. I also really hope to be able to use some of my marketing experience. While in Israel, I researched new clients and developed ideas for how to best attain those client’s business. This experience will be very useful as we try to expand CEOLI cards into various retail locations around Pittsburgh and beyond. While I am unsure as of now if I would like to work in the consulting field, I understand how important working with clients is to any job. I believe I will gain valuable personal, academic, and professional skills by working closely with CEOLI.
I am so grateful for this opportunity and am very excited to continue working my team and CEOLI for the rest of the semester. I can’t wait to spend my Spring Break in Cochabamba, Bolivia!