Carol Cochrane finds global perspective through WMU Haworth
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Senior Carol Cochrane, originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, is taking off into professional worlds through Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business. With a major in communication studies and a minor in international business, Cochrane has grown her professional knowledge through her study abroad trip to the Netherlands.
Never having thought about studying abroad, Cochrane’s journey began at WMU Haworth.
“Like many first-year students, I was undecided on my major, so I took a variety of classes, one of those being Applying Business Fundamentals with Dr. Bret Wagner. From day one, I could tell that Dr. Wagner had a real passion for teaching, which made me more inclined to listen.”
One of his major teaching points in that class was the value of becoming fluent in Excel and how important that skill is in business. So, at the end of the semester and around the holidays, Cochrane gifted Wagner a mug with the Excel logo on it.
“Dr. Wagner was impressed that I picked up on his message and asked me to set up a meeting to discuss studying abroad. This small interaction planted the seed that eventually blossomed into studying international business in the Netherlands, changing my life forever.”
Cochrane studied in Utrecht, Netherlands, for about six months with students from around the world, creating unforgettable connections while working together to extend their business knowledge.
During one of her classes in the Netherlands, Cochrane had the opportunity to work with Royal Ahrend, a furniture company in Amsterdam, where her team was tasked with designing a piece of ergonomic office furniture that Royal Ahrend could sell and creating a sales pitch for one of their clients, Uber.
“The special thing about this class was that there were very few people from the same country. The diversity was incredible—students from France, Spain, Ireland, Canada, America, Turkey, Romania, South Korea, Taiwan, and of course the Netherlands, were all represented. We had to work through our cultural differences and language barriers to create a project we were all proud of. In the end, the entire class became one big family. This experience showed me that it’s not actually that daunting to work interculturally. Humans are humans, no matter where they come from in the world and listening and creating common ground is key.”
The semester ended with a conference planned and run by marketing students at Hogeschool Utercht with presentations from the international business students, during which Cochrane was asked to represent the class and open the conference with a commemorative speech, a testament to her hard work and drive. “I was honored to be asked to reflect on such an important moment for the class, and it really was the cherry on top of my stay,” she says. “The conference went great for the whole class, and we all learned a lot by being evaluated by and working with real international business professionals.”
For students interested in studying abroad, Cochrane shares some words of advice.
“If studying abroad has ever appealed to you, even in the slightest, just do it. Don’t let fear stop you. I could give you the classic advice like bring a charging adapter, but you can get that on the internet. The hardest part is starting the process and seeing it through. It takes a ton of planning and intention, but once you make it through, you will be so glad you took that step.”
Learn more about study abroad programs at WMU Haworth.
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