Photos provided by Anandita Senapati and Brandon Rodriguez Torrento.
Students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in global cultures and business practices during Embassy Day. The event, organized by Smith’s Center for Global Business and Smith Start, took 100 students to eight embassies on Feb. 21, 2025.
Students from first-year undergraduates to graduate students had the opportunity to visit two of the participating embassies. Prior to the visit, each student received a country brief, which included cultural insights, international relations and current business news to help them engage in meaningful discussions. The experience helped bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world international relations, giving students the opportunity to understand the importance of diplomacy and its impact on how a country does business with the U.S. Participating embassies included Belgium, Nigeria, Spain, Philippines, Chile, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Germany.
During a visit to the Embassy of Chile, Faculty Advisor Anais Escobar said that students learned about how Chile and the U.S. collaborate in many sectors in a speech by the ambassador, Juan Gabriel Valdes. Students also learned about Chile's commitment to green energy and the significance of their products to the US market in a presentation by Commercial Attaché Sebastian Molina and Investment Attaché Beatriz Herrera. “Overall a great visit,” she said.
Antonia Mavrakis ’28 served as a peer mentor for the event and visited the Embassies of Spain and the Philippines. Along with the other students, Mavrakis said she was able to “engage in meaningful conversations” regarding global trade, policy and cross-cultural collaboration with diplomats. “Seeing firsthand how countries approach international relations and economic development was truly inspiring!”
Mavrakis said this event, and others like it, remind her why she is “passionate” about global business. “[These experiences] open doors to new perspectives and lifelong learning.”
This program was supported in part by CIBE, a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.