I am Gilda Garcia and currently majoring in Operation Management and Information Systems at Northern Illinois University. I attended the Summer Europe 2018 Seminar. I chose an IBS seminar to study abroad because I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to study abroad, but also be able to explore what businesses are like in a different country. I think the trip overall was so much fun! My favorite country was Italy and I definitely plan to go back. My advice to future study abroad students would be to let loose and enjoy yourself! You’ll definitely learn a lot about Europe but also yourself.
Hear more directly from Gilda:
If you had 60 seconds to convince a friend to attend an IBS program, what would you say?
If I had 60 seconds to convince a friend to attend an IBS program, I would say it’s worth going because you get to see 6 different countries! You meet new friends through all this and at the same time see what makes Europe so different from the U.S.
Did you develop or improve any qualities or skills during the seminar? If so, what were they and how did they develop/improve?
I did improve skills during the seminar. I think I have always lacked being able to keep conversations going with other people, and I think now I have really improved it. Being on my own on this trip helped me open up and be more open to wanting to meet new people.
What was it like meeting and traveling with a group of people you didn’t know beforehand?
Meeting and traveling with a group of people I didn’t know beforehand was pretty scary at first. It turned out to be a great experience though. I met a lot of incredible people and I really hope to keep in contact with them.
If you have any questions email me at: z1744362@students.niu.edu