Hi all! My name is Sydney and I wanted to introduce myself prior to setting off to Seoul. I am a rising junior majoring in business information systems and global management. Post grad I am interested in working internationally in some capacity, whether that be in a consulting role or anything else. Outside of the classroom I am the assistant marketing manager for The Pitt News, work on WPTS radio’s underwriting team, and am a member of Pitt’s consulting club.

In my personal life I love to stay active, including participating in club field hockey at Pitt and going to the gym. I also live to paint, hike, and travel. Under the global management my chosen language to study is Mandarin Chinese and I am looking forward to traveling to mainland China after the conclusion of this program.

I chose to pursue Seoul as a location due to my interest in East Asia. Although I’m studying Mandarin I have not had official work experience abroad, so this opportunity aligned very well with my interests. I’m really looking forward to picking up a bit of Korean while I am abroad, learning about Korean culture, and gaining professional adaptability skills and internship experience. I think cultural differences will be a hurdle to overcome but I recognize that it will challenge me to grow in a lot of ways.

Currently feeling the pre-departure jitters, but trying my best to stay excited! This will be my first time traveling internationally alone, so there will definitely be a little bit of a learning curve. Nonetheless looking forward to the next two months! See you soon, Seoul.

— Sydney