It’s like a stack of international postcards, combined with a science fair and infused with real-life experience and learning. And every year, it’s a fascinating exhibition of global study abroad programs.
The Center for Global Business at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business hosted its fifth annual Global Showcase on Feb. 13, 2020, presenting projects from study abroad programs of the Winter 2020 term.
“The purpose of the event is to give a platform to the students that studied abroad to share their experience with the Maryland Smith community,” said Center for Global Business’ s coordinator Santiago Luna. “It is important because a fundamental component of the Center for Global Business’ mission is to connect Smith to the world, and the world to Smith and this event is one of many that fulfill this mission.”
Students of majors ranging from finance to kinesiology and public health science traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa or South America to take courses to supplement their studies at UMD.
The Global Showcase gallery is an exhibit of student projects from nearly 150 UMD students, and the community is invited to come and see the Terp takeaways of their abroad experiences.
Student projects were divided into five categories: Comparative Business Analysis, Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Business, Digital Technology Transforming Business, Effects of Culture on Business, and Enterprise and Innovation.
David Fredericks, a senior finance and information systems double major, said his favorite part of the study-abroad program was getting to know the other people on his trip, and the experience they shared together.
As winner of the Enterprise and Innovation category, Fredericks’ team won $500.
“We focused on what’s going to happen to the region as a whole because of Brexit, and we were able to assess that innovation would be going down,” he explained.
He said the winter abroad experience is valuable, especially for students who might be reluctant to spend an entire semester away from campus.
“Getting a different perspective on how you experience things in the U.S. – everything from economics, to politics and culture – makes you a more well-rounded individual,” he said.
The winners of each category are listed below – as well as Testudo’s Pick, chosen by a vote of people who attended the Global Showcase.
Comparative Business Analysis
Team 3: Where to Start Your Business? Vietnam v. Thailand
Helen Kent, Jacob Smith, Kelsey Calabrese, Vivek Ramani, Nathaniel Pereyra
Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Businesses
Team 29: Vietnam's Economic Revolution
Erin Chelf, Marisa Teti, Sam Haufler, Ben Reott, Bailey Smith
Digital Technology Transforming Business
Team 9: Digital Asia: How Blockchain is Transforming Business
Alex Levy, Matthew Michaels, Andrew Hawley, Alex Schwab, Sibei Chen
Effects of Culture on Business
Team 12: Buddhist Influence on Thai Business Environment
Grace Hammon, Ashwin Kammula, Chris Johnson, Adora Belcher
Enterprise and Innovation
Team 26: Innovation Deflation: Brexit's Impact on Innovation in the U.K.
Neil Duggal, David Fredericks, Hunter Marsh, Pace Isaac, Gillian Southworth
Testudo's Pick
Team 21: Singapore: A Global Hub for Innovation
Mark Augustino, Andrew Norfolk, Avery Butterfield, Emma Cross, Ryan Khagani
– By Emma Grazado, Maryland Smith special writer
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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.