My name is Samantha Stearns and I’ll be a senior at the University of Mississippi. I’m a marketing and corporate relations major interested in international marketing. I was born in Los Angeles, California but raised in Austin, Texas. I attended the 2018 Summer Europe Seminar and it was one of the best decisions I have made in college so far. I chose to attend the IBS seminar because I wanted to branch out from what I was comfortable with. I wanted to meet people and make new friends but experience something I hadn’t experienced before. IBS stuck out to me because I liked that we were visiting companies instead of sitting in a classroom listening to lectures. I had traveled to Europe multiple times in the past, but IBS offered places I had yet to see. One of my favorite locations was either Lausanne, Switzerland or Innsbruck, Austria. In the future, I hope to get my masters in IMC or further my studies with international business. As for advice, I would say go out of your comfort zone. It will make you grow so much as a person and potentially see a whole new side of yourself you didn’t know existed.
Hear more directly from Samantha:
If you had 60 seconds to convince a friend to attend an IBS program, what would you say?
If I had 60 seconds to tell my friend about IBS I would say that it was one of the best decisions I have made in college so far. I was able to make so many new friends and experience new places that I probably wouldn’t have if I didn’t come on this trip. IBS opened so many new doors for me. Before going on the trip, I didn’t know if I was going to like it or the people. Once I got there I didn’t want to leave. The people I met and the experiences I had were indescribable. I encourage you to take a leap of faith and get to grow yourself as a person.
Being able to travel to multiple cities and countries, what travel advice do you have for future students?
Before going to the different cities and countries, I advise you to research them. I advise that you plan what you will do in your free time because you have more time than you think you will. Pay attention to the culture changes and learn to adapt quickly because that will make you seem more like a local rather than a tourist.
Do you intend on interning/working abroad in the future – if so, what did you learn from your seminar that will help you work/live abroad?
In the future, I would love to intern abroad or even work abroad. I loved experiencing new things and meeting new people. I learned that if I wanted to intern or work abroad that I would most likely want to be in London. London offered so many new opportunities. Going abroad helped me learn about the culture and showed me the activities that locals engage in during their lunches or free time.
If you have any questions email me at: sastearn@go.olemiss.edu