Interterm Travel Classes Offer Exciting Look at Global Business

The international immersion program has been one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had as both a student and a learner. It pushed me to see business, culture and my own perspective through a wider lens while traveling through South Africa and the UAE. The highlight was collaborating with students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Building something real with people I had just met, halfway across the world, was genuinely eye-opening and made the work feel bigger than the classroom. My biggest takeaway wasn’t how different we are, but how similar. Across cultures, we’re still driven by the same goals: learning, improving and building toward something that matters.

— Chris Caldwell

I had a lovely experience during my interim trip in Sweden and Finland. We had the opportunity to visit IQM Quantum Computers, building quantum computers and Avenue Biosciences, both companies that are pioneers in innovation. This theme of innovation was reinforced through our historical experiences. A highlight of the trip was seeing Vasa, a ship with its maiden voyage in 1628. Another highlight was stepping inside the home of a decommissioned R1, Sweden’s first nuclear reactor. These experiences provided emphatic examples of Nordic innovation.

A carefree moment during our trip was when we had the opportunity to sauna and then take a dip in the Baltic Sea, a ritual of Nordic culture. We were then hosted to Fika, a connecting coffee, with kanelbulle, a delightful Scandinavian treat.

I gained insights into how the innovation ecosystem is shaped by industry, government and academia.

It was inspirational and connecting to meet with professionals hear about passions and their motivations for innovating, navigating a continually changing landscape, and dedicating themselves to the process of iteration within their companies.

As I headed home to the U.S., I have developed a strong understanding of the importance of branding for inclusive innovation systems, the strength in taking the long-term perspective, and the value of thinking differently and doing things differently for impact-driven entrepreneurship. I am grateful to both my professors and the University of Denver for the making this experience possible.

— Madden Oliver, third-year marketing and psychology student

The DU MBA’s Global Challenge trip to Turkey was an interesting learning experience. The University arranged for us to meet with three companies in Istanbul. This was a great learning experience because the companies were vastly different from each other.

The first was a leader in the financial environment of Turkey, the second-largest holding group in the country. Their CFO was generous enough to hold a meeting with us in which he broke down the macroeconomic environment of Turkey.

The second company was in the business of making the speed control cameras one often sees flashing when a car runs a red light. It was fascinating to learn about this technology and how the company was able to sell this product in the United States.

The final company was a startup that specialized in stabilizing technology. For example, a pool table would be impossible to use on a cruise ship because the balls would move with the ship’s rocking. This company invented the stabilizing technology that accounts for the ship’s movement to stabilize the pool table during a game.

Though the three companies we visited were different from each other, they were each fascinating in their own way and helped us gain a better understanding of business culture in Turkey.

— Gabriella Gyurkovics, Denver MBA student

As I settled-in and began to explore Buenos Aires, its people and its history, it struck me that many of the stories I was hearing I had heard before here in the U.S. Argentina is a nation of immigrants, its heroes often ordinary people striving to do their best to improve their fellow Argentinians' lives. I found this history reflected in a culture of hospitality, or "amigable" as it's called in Spanish. This was evident in every aspect of Argentine society that I had the privilege of interacting with, from local futbol fans, tiny empenada and choripan stands, and even the family-run enterprise we had traveled to the country to work with in the first place. Despite the economic turmoil of recent years, almost every Argentine I met shared a common hope for the future and happily shared their homes, businesses, food and stories. I look forward to my next visit to this incredible country.

— Jacob Gardner, Denver MBA student

The International Accounting class focuses on giving students a taste of another possibility of being an accounting major, the ease of mobility and extraordinary opportunities that come with the profession. During the Denver part of the course, we learned about cultural differences between the U.K. and the U.S, the differences in the profession, as well as how firms in both countries interact and work together.

Once in London, the schedule balanced professional visits with accounting, legal, and financial firms alongside great opportunities to explore and engage with the city’s cultural landscape. The meetings offered meaningful insights into the profession beyond traditional accountancy roles and opened valuable learning opportunities, particularly through hands-on communication and planning that we, as students, were responsible for coordinating with the firms.

Overall, the class offered an incredible opportunity to view accounting from an international perspective while also creating meaningful, long-lasting relationships among everyone in the cohort. Even before the course began, there was a shared sense of excitement. Throughout the program, we spent entire days together learning and exploring London, and now that we are back at school, we remain connected by the unforgettable experiences we shared through this class.

— Rodrigo Granillo

The International Accounting course was an incredibly memorable experience. I am very grateful for the opportunity to travel to London for a week in December, where the classroom lessons were reinforced. During the trip, I was able to build strong connections with peers in the class while also engaging with professionals working in the global accounting and finance sector. These experiences added depth to my understanding of living abroad and how it could fit into my professional future.

Before traveling, the course covered IFRS topics, cultural differences, and how global firms operate. The professors did an amazing job incorporating these topics into the travel portion, in an organized and engaging way. Observing the differences in work culture and professional expectations between the UK and the US was especially eye-opening and encouraged me to think more broadly about potential career paths.

Overall, this course offered a unique opportunity to deepen my understanding of international accounting practices while gaining a global perspective that will be valuable throughout my career. I would highly recommend this class to any DU accounting student interested in expanding their professional outlook, experiencing how accounting functions on a global scale, and anyone who loves travel opportunities.

— Tenley Leonard