The International Business Seminar is a great opportunity to go out and explore the different lifestyles that people may have and how businesses are run in different countries but if the costs seem to be an issue, there are scholarships to help you out.
For one, there is the Founders Scholarship which is well oriented towards those who are willing to use their creative writing skills. With this scholarship, the student would write three blogs on three separate topics with one of them being your own choice of subject. For my seminar in South East Asia, I took on the role of the Digital Ambassador for my scholarship and captured many photos and videos throughout our trip to document the experience. In the end, a two-minute video was put together to summarize the entire trip.
As Digital Ambassador, I was provided with a $500 scholarship to cover some of the costs towards the seminar. Although this scholarship does not require that you be a professional videographer or photographer, it is important to make sure that you have a camera on you at all times for memories later. It is the small and random moments that can form the biggest and most enjoyable memories.
How are you Chosen?
Before becoming the Digital Ambassador, there is a video entry that must be submitted to IBS before a deadline. The video is meant to provide an insight into who you are and how you may be helpful with this scholarship. There are specific deadlines for when you would need to submit the video as well as any other paperwork that may be needed but this should not be a problem being well-educated students as we are.
Interviews
One of the requirements as the Digital Ambassador is to interview a couple of the students throughout the trip about their experience. This is a great opportunity to get to know some of the other students and find out what they may want to learn from this seminar. Questions may be about the business meetings, the trip so far, or anything that you may want to ask yourself as the interviewer. Surprisingly, this was one of my favorite parts because I had the pleasure of learning more about the students I am with and making new friends.
Social Media
Being a Digital Ambassador, you should also be ready to have photos to post on social media, specifically Instagram. This is somewhat of a natural task that you would need to take part in considering we are the Instagram generation. The goal is to share at least five Instagram stories throughout the seminar and tag @IBSabroad. You can also take part in the photo contest at the end of the trip if you tag #IBSabroad for a reward.
Recommendations
When it comes to capturing the footage to be used, I would recommend taking the time to look into the areas you will be visiting. Some areas may be better for cameras that have a lens focused on scenery and zoom features while others may be better off for rainy weather and easy mobility.
During the seminar, I brought two separate cameras: Canon Rebel T5i and a GoPro Hero 7 Black. Of those two, I highly recommend a GoPro. With the consistent mobility throughout the seminar, the Canon became somewhat of an obstacle with its large size. The GoPro was easy to carry around, provided pictures from different angles with the extension, and was perfect for random moments where you may end up in a River with Elephants.
If you do not have cameras like the ones I mentioned, you can always use your phone as well. With the advancements made in all the new smartphones, creating photos from the camera on your phone is always possible. In the end, it’s not the camera that defines the photo or video but the people and activities within the photo itself.
