I have been home for almost two weeks now and am adjusting back to life in America! I loved my time abroad in London and made countless memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.

I learned many things while abroad, but the main thing I am taking with me is how important it is to be open to trying new things. I had many new experiences during my time abroad and did things I never would have expected. A few of my favorite experiences include going to a premier league game, my day trips to Oxford and Brighton, spending a weekend in Budapest, visiting Camden Market, and watching horse racing just outside the city.

I am so thankful for my time abroad because I was able to make so many new friends that I hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life. The people that I studied abroad with are truly what made my six weeks overseas so memorable. I was surprised with how quickly the six weeks went by and wish it could have lasted a bit longer. I am so happy with how productive I was in spending my time. Whether it was in class, at my internship, or in my free time I always had something fun to do, or work on, and a new place to explore. I am truly proud of myself for accomplishing my lifelong goal of studying abroad and will take back so many things I learned to the University of Pittsburgh, my personal life, and my career.

I have grown professionally during my time abroad and am confident I will be able to use my internship experience abroad to contribute to my career growth. Only 3% of college students in America study and intern abroad, so I believe this experience will set me apart from my competition and help land me the jobs I want post-graduation. I learned a lot about what it is like to work in a foreign culture and enjoyed being able to help grow a new and quite small furniture design company. I learned a lot about the furniture industry in the United Kingdom, and although I wasn’t expecting to do this type of work, I will take the sales skills I developed with me wherever I work next. This internship helped me grow my professional network and allowed me to work alongside some great people.

Lastly, I will take a great deal of what I learned and apply it to my classes at Pitt Business. I am grateful that Pitt Business has given me the opportunity of a lifetime to study abroad. I will take back the skills and knowledge I learned in both my International Marketing class and my internship experience and keep building on those during my senior year. With one more year left at Pitt, I hope to accomplish all my senior year goals and secure a job post-graduation. I am confident that because of my time abroad, I will be able to succeed in my last year of school and use this experience to excel in my career.