Tali Ortega, an International Affairs and Political Science student, spent a few weeks of her summer in France. She was chosen as a Summer 2023 Global Grant Recipient and went on the "Doing Business in Europe" Global Seminar where she spent 2.5 weeks in the city of Aix-en-Provence learning about business in Europe. She went on business visits, heard from guest lecturers, and experienced the beautiful city filled with French culture. Hear about her time abroad below:
To begin, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for those who helped make this trip possible! I never could have imagined just how much I have learned and honestly grown in the past 2.5 weeks. My seminar was designed to have 14 businesses. Here's a list of the companies that we visited: Airbus Helicopter, Parfums de la Bastide, Calissons Factory, Pellenc ST, Mediadev, STMicroelectronics, Biopool Tech, Chateau de Beaupre, Zebox, CMA CGM, and Two Worlds Whiskey. Now I wanted to list all of the visits to help you get a grasp of what an amazing mix and variety we were able to learn about!
Arguably, my favorite visit has been a sustainable pool company, BioPool Tech. Overall, I found their ability to rise again after bankruptcy, into a flourishing and healthy business to be very inspiring. It's nice to learn that even if you fail, you can build yourself up and still succeed. I am very honored to be able to learn about what makes a good company. In the future, I plan to use what I've learned when job hunting, as work culture is an important component of the difference between a good and "not-so-good" company.
Moreover, I have really enjoyed living with my homestay “mom,” and have bonded very well with my two roommates. We have had fun exploring the city of a thousand fountains, eating delicious foods, bowling, going to the beach and connecting with French culture. I always looked forward to having dinner as it was full of amazing food and tons of laughter. I also never expected to learn as much about Aix and French customs as much as I did! The first few days were admittedly rough as culture shock hit pretty hard but having amazing students around me really helped me adjust. Ultimately, I am so happy and blessed to have been able to come on the trip.
All in all, this trip has gone above my expectations and I am so grateful for the experiences and opportunities.
We're so glad you had a wonderful time, Tali!