For this program, I am enrolled at The Richmond American University London, which is in Chiswick. I am taking a Historical London course with the rest of the Pitt students in my program. We have class twice a week, one day being a lecture and the other being a field trip. I enjoy learning about the material during lectures and being able to apply it to the museums and sites that we visit. It is also a great way to see many spots in London from a historical perspective. This is different from any course I have taken at Pitt because I don’t typically have field trips built into a class, but the lecture style is the same. This university is in a great location with parks, restaurants, etc. My commute is about 25 minutes, and the Overground and bus routes are easy to navigate. The campus is on the smaller side, and there are only ten people in the class, which is different from my experience at Pitt.  

Off campus, I live in a single studio apartment in a building with all the other students in the program. I have my own bathroom and a small kitchen, and the building includes amenities such as a gym, theater, and rooftop. One thing that was difficult to adjust to was the lack of air conditioning, especially during the heatwave. 

My internship is for a sales agency called HC Brands. It is a small company that sells healthy drinks and snacks made by small companies. As an intern, I mostly help with field sales for three specific drinks the company represents. During my typical day, I take samples to convenience stores or small independent grocers. If a shop has already received samples, I follow up to receive their feedback and see if they are interested in ordering through a wholesaler. I work Monday through Wednesday for a total of about 15-20 hours.  

This sales internship is helping me strengthen my communication skills. I must communicate a lot with my supervisors on tasks that I need to complete. This is also helping me learn more about sales pitching techniques. Since I interact with a lot of store managers, I have had many conversations trying to sell and differentiate our drinks from competitors. I have also learned which tactics work with different people since managers respond differently to information. For example, some care more about the price while others care about the ingredients of the drink.  At first, it was hard to adjust to the early hours of my internship but now I have settled into my new routine between my internship and class.  

I am excited to continue to learn and grow through my course and internship!