My name is Kimberly Chen and I am a junior at the Pitt business school. I am double majoring in finance and business information systems with a certificate in business analytics. I chose this combination because I like working with something tangible. Also I would like to work with technology and continue to be involved in the advancement of technology. 

Currently I am participating in the Global Business Institute program in London. I chose this program because I wanted to complete an internship while I was abroad while also taking classes. My goals for this program are to become more culturally competent and to successfully complete my internship. This semester I am interning with CREOATE, a tech startup, as a finance and data analyst intern. It has been pretty fun and exciting thus far. 

There are many similarities and differences between the CAPA center and Pitt’s campus. One of the most obvious differences is the location. The CAPA center is located in a bustling area in the heart of London. Whereas at Pitt, it is a college campus and you are just surrounded by other students. One similarity is that all my classes are just filled with other American students that are studying abroad in London. This is a positive and negative at the same time. It is a positive because I did not have to make a major adjustment to my classes because it was what I have been used to. However, I am just surrounded by Americans so I do not have as much of an opportunity to completely immerse myself in Lonodns culture and get to know the locals here. 

While in London, I am living in an apartment complex called Sutherland. I am living with 5 other girls from different universities and parts of the United States. Our neighborhood is in a very posh neighborhood that is also very residential. All the houses and apartments have really great architecture and I feel really safe walking around. It is really peaceful and clean. And the biggest positive is that there is a tube station that is super close by, it is only a 5 minute walk. Another thing that I love about London is the transportation system aka the tube. It was so easy to navigate and I think I am pretty much an expert at this point. I was really nervous in the beginning about going places by myself, but as I kept doing it, I became used to it and I appreciate public transportation even more now.