Author: Connor Bailey | Major: Accounting | Semester: Summer 2024
In front of the Eiffel Tower.
When I came to the University of Arkansas, I knew I wanted to study abroad. I had little clue about where or when this would take place, but I knew I wanted to fit it into my academic timeline. When I first heard about CIMBA I knew it was the program for me and I would go as far to say that it is the best decision I have made so far in my academic journey.
I am from a smaller town in Arkansas and I knew I wanted that same small town feel when I studied abroad to be able to truly immerse myself in the culture. Paderno del Grappa sits at the base of the Dolomite mountains and has a population of barely two thousand people. This small Italian town carried itself bigger than that though as many students who had previously studied abroad with CIMBA spoke very highly about it. This town connected me to my ancestral roots and the four weeks I was there changed my life to put it bluntly.
This program would not be what it is without the people that run it. I had the opportunity to learn from two fantastic professors while there, Dr. Molly Rapert and Dr. Eric Olson. These two truly shaped my experience to be the best it could be and allowed me to expand my knowledge in topics that I had previously known very little about. In Dr. Rapert’s class, we discussed China daily and their meteoric rise to being one of the top world economies. Oftentimes in class, she would tell of the flak she got from many people about discussing a grim topic such as China in the beautiful countryside of Italy, but Dr. Rapert stayed committed. She implored us to connect our daily readings about China and connect them back not only to the United States but also to Italy and other European countries. In Dr. Olson’s class, we talked about international trade and how political decisions can cause seismic shifts in economies worldwide. We also frequently discussed the topic of artificial intelligence as it is becoming a hot topic in business. Dr. Olson piqued all of our interests by expanding on how artificial intelligence works and pointing out how it will change the landscape of the business world in the coming years.
The moments I reflect on the most from this study abroad program though are the ones that changed me fundamentally. By nature, I am a very pessimistic person. I am used to having a plan and when that plan goes awry I do not know what to do. The greatest life lesson that studying abroad teaches you that many students I have spoken with agree is the ability to go with the flow. I wasn’t fluent in any of the languages of the countries I visited making planning and navigating difficult at times. Even the little Spanish I knew proved to be futile when I visited Barcelona. Embracing the unknown allows you to immerse yourself in the different cultures these countries have and go in with an open mindset to learn as everyone I met in these different countries wanted to share their wealth of knowledge.
Whether I was rushing to the airport about to miss my flight because I took the wrong train or aimlessly trying to communicate with a waiter that spoke very little English, I learned to love those moments because those are the moments where I truly learned the most. Because of my previous pessimism, there was a definite learning curve. Malleability cannot be taught and I believe the best way to learn to be malleable is to step outside your comfort zone and take every opportunity you get while studying abroad.
The University of Arkansas Honors Program has afforded me countless opportunities to advance myself academically, professionally, and socially. I can confidently say my study abroad experience was the greatest opportunity I have had yet. I believe in trying to be one percent better each day. Studying abroad pushed that limit far beyond what I imagined possible. This opportunity was like no other and I plan to take the new awareness for the world I gained and apply it to every facet of my life to the best of my ability.