My name is Aaryanna Dawson-Sarabia. I am a sophomore in the College of Business Administration here at Pitt. I’m majoring in Finance and Supply Chain Management, with a minor in French and a Certificate in Leadership and Ethics (CPLE). I am originally from Palos Verdes, California, which is a suburb on the coast outside of Los Angeles, so I’m excited to get out of Pittsburgh over Spring Break and get back to some warm weather as I travel down to Puerto Rico as a part of Global Service Learning (GSL)!
On campus I am also involved in the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. These organizations have really made my time at Pitt what it has been so far, allowing me to get much more involved in activities on campus and meet some of my best friends. Also, my business fraternity in particular has really allowed me to further my professional skills and supplement the business education I have been receiving.
I originally entered Pitt in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences but soon realized that all the career paths I was interested in pursuing revolved around business. After transferring into the business school at the end of my first semester freshman year, I learned about the Plus3 study abroad program. I applied and ended up going to China for 2 weeks as we studied the cell phone industry there. It was such an incredible experience that allowed me to learn so much culturally while also investigating an interesting segment of business. After that first study abroad experience, I was hooked and I have been taking any opportunity I can to go abroad, so when I learned about the GSL programs in my CPLE class I knew I had to apply.
This program is the perfect combination because, not only does it allow me to explore a new culture, but it also allows me to further my business skills by working as a consultant to a nonprofit business operating in Puerto Rico. This program provides a really unique opportunity to get hands on experience in consulting while also being able to gain global business exposure thus broadening my worldview. In addition, this class pairs really well with the CPLE in which we have a big focus on consulting and project work. I am looking forward to exploring this new area of business throughout my work on this project, as I have never worked with a non-profit before. I am hoping this exposure will allow me to gain more insight into which area of business I would most like to pursue upon graduation and I know it will provide me with invaluable experience, refining many of my business skills.
Throughout this project, we will be working with the non-profit organization Caras Con Causa. This organization is devoted to community education and development as well as restoration of the Catano wetlands, and it hopes to further these goals from funds obtained from the environmental field lab they have opened. The University of Pittsburgh commenced a 10 year partnership with Caras last year and the team of student consultants I am currently working on will be building upon the work started by the student group last year. This year, we have been tasked with developing and pricing a competitive research and lodging package and then creating a marketing initiative which highlights the unique elements of the urban coastal wetland setting to attract researchers. The lab is ready to go, so now we want to help Caras get off the ground my bringing in researchers and helping support Caras’ long term goals of community development. To prepare for our on-site work abroad, we have been reading about the history of Puerto Rico as well as keeping up with current events in order to better understand the context of our project. Our group has also been finalizing our scope of work to clearly outline the aforementioned deliverables and set a game plan for our work with Caras.
I am truly so excited to be working on this project. As a student of the CPLE, I have had the opportunity to work on a few different consulting projects, but this project just seems so much bigger. Part of that is becuase our work is only one short part of the long term partnership Caras has with Pitt, and I think that makes our work really special as we are contributing to something so much bigger than us and for such an incredible cause. I know this project will be very impactful for me, but it will be so much more so for all the community member that Caras is working to educate and help, I am really looking forward to being a contributing factor in that.
I think this course will help me grow tremendously both as a business student and as a person. First (even though Puerto Rico is technically a part of the US), I think the global business experience I am gaining as a part of this project is so value and something so unique. The chance to work in business cross-culturally will improve my communication skills and allow me to learn from different perspectives. I think it is also very valuable experience that will help me stand out when I apply to jobs in the future, as I am really interested in working in business on a global scale.
In addition to the professional skills I will gain as a part of this class, I think this program will allow me to become more independent and confident in my abilities. While my group does have countless faculty members there to help us when we ask, it is truly us, the students, coming up with the ideas and executing the plans for a real business depending on our guidance. It is empowering to know that we are working on something that will be directly helping a business and making a difference. In addition, this course has already made me a more effective team member and made me more confident in contributing my ideas and working seamlessly with others.
When I first decided to apply to this program, I wanted to do it primarily because I thought it would just be a great travel experience to visit Puerto Rico, and yeah I’d get some consulting experience too, but since beginning my work, I have become so passionate about this project and cannot wait to see how it turns out. I’m looking forward to the next steps of the project and I can’t wait to go to Puerto Rico!