My name is Maraam Hijaz, I currently attend Moorpark College and will be a sophomore in the fall. I am majoring in international business as well as psychology with minors in marketing and finance. I attended the Summer China 2019 program through IBS, with the goal of expanding my mindset in order to have a better opportunity at success in my future business career.
Hear more directly from Maraam:
What did you learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience abroad taught me that confidence is key in business, you must stand tall and persist through even the toughest moments in your life in order to reach success. Perseverance is a necessity in the business world, I learned this by hearing the stories of the executives, listening to where they started and seeing where they are now was a huge inspiration. It taught me that you must take every chance you can grasp because if you don’t you might just miss out on your opportunity to take that next big step.
What company did you enjoy learning from the most and why?
The company I enjoyed learning from the most on this trip was Grant Thornton, they are a company which helps dynamic organizations around the world unlock their potential for growth. The executive we spoke to was actually born in the states, he was able to explain the tariff situation to us from China’s side, while also explaining America’s thoughts. The executive talked about how he deals with fraud in the workplace, giving valuable information on what we could do if something like that ever occurred in a business of our own.
What was it like meeting and traveling with a group of people you didn’t know beforehand?
To meet and travel with a group of people that I did not know beforehand was pretty nerve-racking. I had no idea what to expect, but it ended up being one of the most wonderful experiences I could have ever asked for. On the 2019 Summer China Program, there were people from Colorado, Louisiana, Illinois, etc. while I was the only one coming from the LA area, but everyone showed to be extremely kind and smart, they were friendly and we were like family by the end of the two weeks. These are people that I know I can reach out to in the future for business help, as I met people majoring in marketing, finance, law, etc. so not only did I make great friends, but I also have great connections for the future.
If you have any questions email me at: maraamhijaz@gmail.com