Hello! My name is Hannah Sweeney and I am currently studying abroad in London on the Global Business Institute Summer program. I am a rising Junior in the College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh. At Pitt, I am majoring in Finance and Business Information Systems with a certificate in Business Analytics. At Pitt, I am mainly involved in 2 student organizations, Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity and the League of Emerging Analytics Professionals (LEAP). In both of these organizations, I have had opportunities to hold leadership positions as I was vice president of community service in Delta Sigma Pi this past semester, and I am the current vice president of membership for this calendar year in LEAP. My experiences at Pitt have given me so many opportunities to grow professionally and meet people that have helped guide my career path and goals.

I am currently on the London Global Business Institute Program for 6 weeks of May and June 2022. I chose this experience because it provides me with opportunities to both learn and grow academically as well as professionally because it encompasses taking 1 course as well as working as a part-time intern at a local London company. I chose to enroll in a course called Shakespeare in London because I wouldn’t typically take a course like this at Pitt, so it provides me with a brand new experience and the opportunity to see Shakespeare plays put on at The Globe Theatre.  My internship is with an entrepreneurial networking company called E2E where I am a member of the Data team. This pairing has given me the opportunity to help with the redesign of their database. Being able to commute like a Londoner and work face-to-face with my coworkers from countries across the globe has provided me with so much knowledge of the daily functions and office life of a global businesses.

With having never traveled like this before and facing a lot of unknowns upon my arrival, I had a few goals that I want work towards, but I am also looking to learn things beyond my expectations. I feel inspired to learn as much as I can culturally because I am immersed in an entirely new city and its surroundings. On an academic side, I aspire to use my Shakespeare class as a way to expand my horizons because it is a topic I know very little about, so every aspect of Shakespeare’s writings and the shows he inspires is new and exciting. So far, this class has been an amazing change-of-pace from my typical business courses I took last semester! Professionally, my main goal is to learn as much as I can. By this, I mean that I want to both learn about the data industry, which will help me narrow down my ideal future career goals, but also about general London office culture and function. Having a global internship is an experience not many people have and while it allows me to get hands-on experience, it also provides me with the opportunity to learn insights of the industry from people who have worked in so many other places. Over the course of this trip, I just want to absorb as much as I can because this experience is already flying by and there is so much to learn in London!