We are living in a global economy now and we must embrace cultural differences in order to survive economically. I do not think that it matters where you take a job or in what field it is in, there is no avoiding a global society.

What you and I take for granted as being a cultural norm in the United States, someone in a different country might be deeply offended by. I think that if you do not take cultural differences into account, you and/or the business you work for will not succeed in the global economy.

I recently had the opportunity to go on a travel-study trip to France and England with Dr. Tom Payne from the College of Business and Public Affairs. I did not actually know how different life was in France until our plane landed in Paris where we spent our first weekend. I had the opportunity to see things that I had only seen on TV before, like Le Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, and Le Louvre. The experiences I had were very enjoyable and I learned many lifelong lessons.

Most of our time was spent at the Universite de Orleans. It was here that we took our International Finance course and got to interact with other students from around the world. I learned so much from the other students. Now I have contacts from different countries around the world. Our last weekend in Europe was spent in London, England. This part of the trip was also absolutely amazing.

I learned far more than what was taught in the Finance course on this travel study. Having never traveled outside the United States, it was hard for me to grasp how different things would really be. This is why I think it would benefit any student to go on a travel-study trip. Not all cultural differences can be taught in a textbook. After this travel study, I also admire even more the international students who come here to study. It was very challenging to be in a new place where everything was totally different from what I am accustomed to.

Several scholarships and grants are available to help you with the cost of a travel-study trip. I personally received The Aspiring Women’s Scholarship this year and a stipend from the International Study Grant that helped make my trip possible. If you have the chance, I recommend that you go on an international travel study.