Hello! My name is Sean Chen, and I am an incoming freshman at the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Business and the Frederick Honors College. Here, I’ve spent my entire life in St. Marys, a quiet, close-knit community where the local joke for the area is that there are more elk than there are people. I recently graduated from St. Marys Area High School, and when I’m not focused on academics, you can usually find me fishing, lifting, playing the guitar, or catching a game of football or basketball with my friends. Growing up in a small town gave me an appreciation for community, but it also provided me with a strong curiosity about the world beyond Elk County. Academically, I maintained high honor roll throughout high school, and I am excited to start the business curriculum at Pitt! Professionally, I plan to major in accounting and finance with a minor in economic.

My perspective on both community and business was shaped by my parent’s local restaurant in St. Marys. Growing up in that environment, I saw firsthand the endless dedication, long hours, and passion it takes to run a local business. Working alongside my family taught me the value of a strong work ethic and showed me how a business can serve as a gathering place for a community. Watching the daily operations of the restaurant is what originally sparked my passion for business, showing me how important financial management and resource allocation are to keeping a business running.

The desire to take the business foundations I learned from at home and apply them at a larger scale is why I chose the Haller Global Fellowship. This program will take us to Northern Ireland, including Belfast and Derry, as well as County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. The opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and consult directly for small local businesses is really exciting. It provides a real-world parallel to what I’ve seen in my family’s restaurant, but on an international scale where I can analyze how local businesses adapt to unique global and cultural forces.

Through this experience, I hope to grow significantly across all areas of my life. Living and working abroad before my first semester even starts will push me to build independence, navigate unfamiliar environments with confidence, and create new bonds with my fellow classmates. Ultimately, this fellowship is the first major step toward my career goals, showing me how the financial and economic principles I’ll major in at Pitt operate in a global market.