Hi everyone! My name is Elika Gowda, and I’m super excited to travel to the unique and historical city of San Juan Puerto Rico during Spring Break this upcoming March. I am from Chester Springs, PA, a suburb in collection with many of the other Philly suburbs that are called by Pitt students as an “hour from Philly.” Despite living in the Philly suburbs for the past six years before coming to Pitt, I have lived in Webster, NY (a suburb of Rochester) for the first thirteen years of my life

When the time arose in the arduous process of committing to a university, I chose the University of Pittsburgh. The aspect that spurred my decision to commit to Pitt was the campus and the prestigious nature of the business program. Coming from a suburb, I have always desired to live in a more city-oriented atmosphere. I enjoyed the urban-suburban balance that Pitt offered in the sense that it is located in close proximity to the city of Pittsburgh, but consists of attributes of the suburban atmosphere such as Schenley Park. Finally, I selected Pitt because the motto of the business program resonates with my career aspirations. In other words, Pitt Business encourages its students to get involved outside of their classroom through internships and study abroad programs early on in their college careers.

Needless to say, I absolutely know that I have made the right choice by attending the University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration, and I honestly cannot imagine getting the unique depth of business acumen and global experiences elsewhere. At Pitt Business, I am majoring in Finance and Business Information Systems, while prospectively pursuing the Certificate in Data Analytics. Outside of the Classroom throughout my two years at Pitt, I’ve immersed myself in a diverse array of organizations: CHAARG(Fitness Sorority), Dhirana, and Women in Business. Despite the notion that only one of my extracurriculars is business-related, I have discovered that all three student organizations have played an impactful role in crafting and broadening my business acumen. Working as one of the Sweat Committee Chairs has enabled me with valuable skills such as social media marketing, event planning, and recruitment strategies utilized with the sole purpose of increasing member engagement. Additionally, working as the fundraising assistant chair for Dhirana has provided me with a platform to practice my leadership skills (EX: solicitation of funds and managing fundraising events such as Game Night, Formal Dinner, and show day )while positively impacting the community for a social cause. Nothing is more rewarding than watching all aspects of the Dhirana show come together while ultimately selling out Soldiers and Sailors Hall in which one hundred percent ticket proceeds from their annual classical dance show in February benefits the Birmingham Free Clinic in Pittsburgh. Lastly, I am a member of Pitt Women in Business(WIB). WIB has provided me with countless networking opportunities while allowing current undergraduate Pitt women to get first-hand insight into a plethora of challenges women face in the workforce.

Besides from extracurricular activities, I enjoy traveling to different countries and immersing myself in the local culture. My adaptability to diverse cultures(especially om non-westernized and third world countries) stems from going to Bangalore, India every two years, and later Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. My passion for exploring different countries inspired me to consider study abroad in my sophomore year, especially after regretting to enroll in the Plus 3 Study Abroad Program. Sophomore year arguably justifies as the prime time to study abroad, before the hustle and bustle of junior year. When searching for a study abroad program, in particular, I seeking programs similar to the length of the traditional “Maymester” Program(1-2 weeks) where I would have the opportunity to incorporate aspects learned from the classroom and apply them to real-world situations to promote socio-economic development in marginalized communities. All of the Global Service Learning Programs(Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Bolivia) met my requirements, but I ended up selecting the Puerto Rico location due to how deeply I resonated with the sustainable development attribute regarding the mission statement of Caras Con Causa.

Caras Con Causa(Caras), justifies as a 501(c)(3) non-profit grass-root organization committed to foster community engagement through running a local charter school, advocating education amongst elementary, middle, and high school students through tutoring services, and managing an environmental field station in hopes to further the growth of the local mangrove station. As of year two of the ten-year plan, my team of Pitt business student consultants is tasked to craft a strategic marketing initiative as a means to engage potential researchers in the innovative atmosphere of the lab. Caras Con Causa’s environmental field station is strategically located in an urban coastal wetland, acting as an indirect wealth of resources for potential researchers to utilize. Our overall result regarding the project consists of stimulating socio-economic sustainability and long term operations.

Overall, the opportunity to partake in Pitt Business’ GSL Puerto Rico study abroad trip will continue to impact my personal, professional, and academic development as a college student.
Professionally, I aspire to translate the consultant skills obtained from this project into skills that I have the opportunity to apply in my future career. Although I do not envision to pursue consulting in the future, I argue that the skill of successful non-profit consulting and management remain transferrable towards my aspiration to work in the healthcare sector.

From an academic perspective, the GSL Puerto Rico Trip provides, to some extent, an international source of application where I can foster critical competencies such as teamwork, communication, and leadership in diverse atmospheres. An international study-abroad experience encourages individuals to grow out of their comfort zones and connect and collaborate with a diverse plethora of business professionals in the global realm. By doing so, students have the opportunity to utilize tactics obtained through collaboration and communication for future successful team projects.

Personally, the GSL Puerto Rico program integrates itself into my personal experience at Pitt because it allows me to explore my passions of serving the community not only through the service attribute of mobilizing impoverished communities but through the integration of business acumen: a clear hall-mark between service-learning and community service. Moreover, prior to taking this class, I wrongfully assumed that the term “service-learning” and “community” service justified as synonymous. However, service-learning, in contrast to community service, exemplifies as exhibiting a higher degree of impact due to the long term impact contrived. By doing so, both parties(the consulting agency) and the non-profit organization have a long-term plan with clear objectives and aspired outcomes vs. the temporary halt of work when community service organizations depart, such as Pitt Business’ ten-year plan with Caras. As a result, the result appears mutually beneficial through the meaningful collaboration where all individuals will walk away with diverse experience, yet empowering experience!