G’day mate! My name is Sydney Sparks, and I am a rising junior at Pitt in the College of Business Administration. At Pitt I study Finance and Business Information Systems while also pursuing a certificate in Business Analytics. On campus, I am involved in a number of organizations including the Blue and Gold Society where I serve as a student ambassador for the university across many different schools and colleges. I work to bridge the gap between the current students on campus and the active alumni. I am also involved in the professional business organization Phi Beta Lambda, where I currently stepped into my role as the VP of Finance. When I am not participating in my organizations, I enjoy watching soccer and scrolling through Tik Tok looking for videos to send to my friends.
The program I am participating in while abroad is the GBI Sydney program where I am doing a part time internship and taking a class about the city. I choose this specific program because Australia wasn’t a place that I saw a lot of people going to visit, much less going to study abroad in. Though you never know where you will end up later in life, I felt that Australia was probably somewhere that I may not visit again compared to the other locations I could have chosen for the Global Business Institute. It really seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I jumped on it! Also, the opportunity to meet kangaroos and koalas was one that I couldn’t pass up. My main goals of this program are to dive into another culture, learn more about the corporate world and expand my knowledge of finance and business in general. Last summer, I had the opportunity of participating in the two-week Plus3 Germany program where I had an absolutely great time, but I left wishing the program was longer and I got to explore more. With this program being 6 weeks long, I really want to take the time to really get to know another culture and another way of life. I believe that the more experiences you have just makes you a more well-rounded person, something that is typically very attractive to employers. Additionally, I chose this program because of the opportunity to participate in an internship abroad. Again, this was just another global experience that not a lot of people get, so when this opportunity to expand my knowledge of business in another country presented itself, it was a must do on my list. This is my first internship experience which I really wanted to have this summer just to get the feel of what life would be like in a corporate setting and understanding how that setting functions. Through my internship, I hope to apply the knowledge I have gained through my courses over the past year while expanding my knowledge of finance.
I am currently two weeks into my program and it’s going very well. My first impression of the city was quite literally “wow”. You always see pictures of the harbor but when you see it in person it is really amazing. The whole first week my friends and I went to walk by the harbor every day and never got tired of it. The city itself doesn’t feel a whole bunch different from some of the major cities I have been to, but it does have some differences. It is more diverse than I anticipated which was very nice to see. I am also really enjoying my internship with an entertainment company called TEG. In my first two weeks, I have already learned so much about what the services they provide and the role of finance department when an artist comes to tour in Australia. We have had a very busy first two weeks, it took some adjusting to get used to having class and then trying to organize my internship hours but, I think I got a solid schedule down. Overall, I’m having a great time in Sydney and can’t wait for all the experiences that lie ahead! Till next time!
