Hey everybody! My name is Tony Shusta and I am a rising junior studying Finance with a minor in Spanish. This summer, I have the opportunity to participate in the International Internship Program (IIP) in Madrid, Spain for eight weeks and I could not be more excited to arrive in the city this Wednesday, May 22.
To begin, I want to introduce myself a little more. I am from Plymouth, PA, a small borough near Scranton, PA (Yes, that’s where The Office takes place) and am a proud graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School. I live with my two parents, younger brother, and two dogs, both of which are Corgis. In my spare time I enjoy going to the gym, spending time with my friends, following sports, and reading. My two favorite sports teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Pirates (As I wrote this I just got the notification they beat the Cubs!) and last summer I embarked on a journey to re-read and finally finish the Harry Potter series. Last week, I finished the fourth book in the series and am currently reading through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
When I was not in classes this last year at Pitt I was involved in student organizations. The first organization was Chi Alpha, which is a Christian Organization. At Chi Alpha, I completed my first year as a Small Group Leader, where I organized and led weekly small groups with my three other co-leaders and also made announcements at our monthly gatherings called Large Groups. One of my biggest passions is singing and I also sang on our Worship Team this past year for our Large Groups and Worship Nights. Not only did I sing for Chi Alpha, but I also sang for the Pitt Men’s Glee Club, the school’s oldest student organization and music ensemble. During Spring Break we went on tour to Baltimore and Washington D.C., which was a blast, and then also had two concerts last year, both at the end of each semester. Inside of the Glee Club, I sang in a subset named Pantherhythms and also served as the Tenor I section leader. Last fall I also rushed and became a member of the Phi Chi Theta business fraternity.
As a freshman here at Pitt, I was undecided on what major I wanted to pursue, but I knew I wanted to do a minor in Spanish. Since learning it in 8th grade, it quickly became one of my favorite subjects in high school, where I won the award for having the highest Spanish gpa out of anyone in my graduation class. Because of these factors, I knew I wanted to pursue a minor in the language and that I also wanted to do some type of study abroad program during my time at Pitt. After completing the prerequisites during my freshman year, I decided to transfer to the business school last fall and completed my first academic year as a business major. I decided on finance because my family has a long history of working in finance, specifically with retirement and retirement security, and after I graduate I hope to go into consulting and live in the Pittsburgh area.
As I stated earlier, I knew that when I came to college I wanted to do a study abroad program. Because of my passion for Spanish, I always wanted to travel and practice and use what I have learned in the classroom in the real world. When looking for a program to do, I chose the IIP to Madrid because I wanted to choose a program for this summer and a program in a Spanish speaking country; this was the only program that met both of my requirements, so my decision was easy.
The IIP to Madrid is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am hoping to get a lot out of it. One of my personal goals for this summer is to learn more about a foreign culture. I have always been interested in traveling to Spain because of their interesting history and culture. By learning more about their culture, I will be able to relate to how it feels to be a minority in a foreign culture and have better cultural appreciation not just for the Spanish, but for all nations and cultures. Another one of my goals is academically-related. As I spoke about throughout this blog, I am a Spanish minor and have always wanted to apply my speaking, listening, and writing skills in real world scenarios. By doing this, I will become a stronger Spanish student and will feel more comfortable and confident using the language. Finally, I have some professional goals that I hope to accomplish this summer. My first goal is to find a routine working in an office space. This program is my first opportunity in a professional office setting and is a fantastic way for me to become prepared for next summer, where I hope to find an internship back in the United States. By finding a routine, I will feel more comfortable working in an office environment and therefore will be more efficient with my time. Another one of my goals is to work on overcoming obstacles independently. Working for the first time in an office and in a foreign environment, I will most likely encounter obstacles that I will need to overcome. However, by learning how to tackle these challenges and most importantly overcome them, I know that I will be a more successful and confident employee, which will help me tremendously in my professional career.
I am very excited and thankful for this opportunity to get to do the IIP in Madrid. ¡Vamos!