Hi everyone! My name is Katie Mather and I’m from Summit, New Jersey. At Pitt, I am in Pi Beta Lambda (a professional business organization), an active sister Alpha Delta Pi, an analyst in Smart Women Securities, and general member in Women in Business. I will be entering my Junior year at Pitt next year, majoring in Finance and Business Information Systems with a Certificate of Leadership and Ethics. This summer I am participating in a part-time internship and plan to intern next summer in New York City. Originally, I am from Toronto, Canada, which is a huge part of my life since all of my immediate family is still living in all parts of Canada. 

This summer I decided going abroad was something perfect with the combination of an internship and academics throughout the six weeks. I’ve never been to the United Kingdom, but I knew I wanted to study abroad when I visited my brother a few years ago when we went abroad to Milan. Participating in the GBI Summer program has stood out to me because of the central location and culture in London. Being able to take a class and do an internship abroad is extremely valuable and helps shape people to be better students, as well as people overall. 

This summer, I hope to learn many new things and be able to immerse myself in a new city. This experience is something most people don’t get to experience and I am so grateful to have this opportunity. I want to get as much as I can out of the program as possible. London is one of the most multicultural cities on the planet and trying new things is an important process of this. 

Regarding the Clifton Strengths, I think that being patient and adaptable in this situation is vital. Being able to navigate a new place where people speak differently and being in a new culture is not easy to get used to quickly. My goal is to be patient during my time here and soak everything in. Experiencing all the different boroughs takes patience and the six weeks is perfect to accomplish this. 

Overall, I am so excited for my journey ahead in London. I’ll be living in Maida Vale near Little Venice. My internship and course schedule will bring on new experiences and people to meet. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and expect to learn a lot of new things in an entirely new culture!