In the Netherlands, BYU Marriott School of Business students visited a multinational company in the morning, then rented bikes to ride through Amsterdam in the afternoon. In Italy, they attended classes in the morning and headed to go see an evening football match or an opera in Milan. Regardless of the location or the activity, BYU Marriott students who participate in the annual Business Semester in Italy and Europe make connections while immersing themselves in new cultures.
The Business Semester in Italy and Europe is a study abroad that has been conducted each fall since 2022, with each year’s trip centering on a different aspect of business, such as sustainability or law. Students enroll in classes, visit corporations, and take part in the local culture during the semester to gain experience with international business.
“Seeing the amount of variety in Europe helps in understanding that people are going to be coming from different frames of reference, different experiences, and will interpret things differently based on those experiences,” explains Taeya Howell, an associate professor of management, who co-led the fall 2024 trip with James Oldroyd, an associate professor of strategy. “Once students understand the assumptions someone is operating on, they can make sure that we’re actually communicating in a way that’s helpful.”
With the goal of helping students understand more global perspectives, Howell organized the semester’s itinerary to incorporate a variety of business visits ranging in industry, size, and scope. She explains, “As students think about organizations that they want to join and apply to, having visited different businesses broadens what that could look like for them.”
Emily Richardson, a business management senior from Grand Junction, Colorado, saw her options broadened through her time abroad. As she met with Americans working at global companies, Richardson realized that working in the international space might be for her. “The study abroad just opened up a world of opportunities," she says.
Having participated in the study abroad in 2022, marketing graduate Taylor Nelson says that experiencing a new culture helped him develop new skills. “Every day, we were exposed to a lot of differences—different views, different cultures, different upbringings,” he says. “This meant that we had to get really good at pausing and listening. I think that made all of us more well-rounded and understanding people by the time we came back.”
Whether it’s ordering breakfast in a different language or interacting with natives of varying countries in hostels, Nelson says that learning to consider other perspectives has helped him in his role as an associate product manager at Outcode Software. Since he works with diverse clients, he tries to tailor his communication to how each individual might best understand. “How I talk and how I communicate might not be received the same way by someone from Nepal or Peru as it might be to someone here in the States,” he says. “That’s something that the study abroad has made me super aware of.”
But what Nelson took home from Italy was more than just how to succeed at work—it was about when to clock out. “It was really hard for me to log off of work,” Nelson says. “Somehow I had found myself addicted to checking Teams and Slack.” But after his time in Italy, he says he decided to make a change. “Something that I really appreciated about the Italian culture is that they take time away from work to spend with family and appreciate the ‘now.’ That's something that I've tried to implement in my own life.”
And although Richardson hasn’t started a full-time job yet, she says she’s already seen value in what she has learned from her experience in Europe. “Skills like solving problems, learning customs, and being polite in different places have all helped me since I’ve gotten back from my study abroad,” she says. “I think they’ll continue to help me for the rest of my life.”