I am Caitlan Sutherland, I am a senior studying Public Relations at the University of Alabama. I attended the IBS Winter Southeast Asia Seminar of 2020.
Hear more directly from Caitlan:
Did you develop or improve any qualities or skills during the seminar? If so, what were they and how did they develop/improve?
I feel like my study abroad experience helped me become more confident and more ready to take risks. The trip helped me go out of my comfort zone and helped me broaden my communication skills by introducing me to new people and perspectives.
What company did you enjoy learning from the most and why?
My favorite company on the trip was IKEA because the company itself and its operations were very interesting to me. Being able to hear the reasons behind every little thing done made me appreciate IKEA. They also had the best employees who are clearly passionate about their job. We ran out of time during the presentation, so we didn’t get to hear much about their marketing operations, but I overall fully enjoyed our IKEA visit.
What was it like meeting and traveling with a group of people you didn’t know beforehand?
I absolutely loved traveling with my group in the program, the trip wouldn’t have been the same without them. Throughout the whole trip, we all remained in contact to see what everyone was doing and just check in on each other. It always felt like one big weird family and the trip was only two weeks long! I continue to talk to my friend Alyssa at least twice a week.
If you have any questions email me at: cpsutherland@crimson.ua.edu