MBA Girls Trip Fosters Community, Friendship

Seven female students’ vacation abroad maximizes return on global immersion trip to Asia

Final exams ended Nov. 21, and the international business challenge trip to Singapore began Dec. 2 for second-year full-time MBA students at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.

Friends and classmates Joanna Guhl, Lillie Klemmer, Courtney Howell, Lexi Haskins, Gabie Bueschel, Emma Bourgraf and Claire Westergren—seven of the program’s 10 female students—realized that left plenty of time to take their own vacation before catching up with the rest of their classmates. The other three women in the program already had plans to travel home or elsewhere over the break.

“We were all really excited about this opportunity, and we wanted to have a bit more experience together outside of the portion that was put together through Daniels,” Bueschel said. “Before the destination was even decided, we knew that we wanted to put some extra time and effort into having some cool memories together abroad.”

Once the class trip location was set, the women decided to visit Japan and Bali for a mix of urban adventure, vintage shopping, delicious food, and tropical rest and relaxation before jetting to Singapore.

Bueschel—a self-described “huge planner”—previously worked in Thailand and traveled throughout southeast Asia. Since she had the planning chops and knew the area well, she took lead on creating the itinerary with Klemmer’s help. The seven sushi and ramen lovers spent four days in Tokyo and six days in Bali—only having to purchase regional flights, Airbnbs, food and entertainment. Daniels took care of the roundtrip plane tickets to Asia.

Bueschel said the group was already close before the trip. All in their 20s and 30s, on the cusp of demanding careers and familial changes, many had taken elective classes together and were mutually involved in extracurricular activities like the Graduate Women in Business Club.

“We thought, ‘When is the next time we’re going to get the chance to have a girls’ trip with this big of a group where we can really make it what we want?’” she said. “Getting that experience as a group of adult women felt cool and exciting for us, so no, we did not invite any of the boys,” she added with a laugh.

Plenty of research backs up that decision. A study from the University of California, Los Angeles, found that groups of female friendships are highly beneficial for stress reduction and overall mental well-being. Women who “tend and befriend” (finding reciprocal support and community with other women) usually experience lower levels of stress, fewer mental health issues, and more confidence and security during trying times.

And let’s be honest, classes, exams and final projects can be stressful—in any undergraduate or graduate school program.

When Joanna Guhl dually enrolled in the Daniels full-time MBA and Master of Accountancy programs, she thought perhaps she would add a few other women to her professional network, but didn’t have high expectations. After seven years in the military, she wasn’t a stranger to male-dominated fields, as business schools have historically been.

“I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find six other women who I really enjoy spending time with outside of the classroom,” she said. “We’ve had some great female professors too, and I’ve felt extremely supported. It’s been both professional and really great personally, so I’m really, really thankful for that.”

Guhl said her favorite part of the MBA girls’ trip to Asia was spending Thanksgiving together in Bali. The ladies hired a private chef who prepared a traditional Balinese meal of assorted meats, soup and a “really cool rice dessert” for their celebration.

“It was super fun just hanging out at the beach and by the pool in the jungle with my friends,” she said.

Bueschel attributes her positive experience in the Denver MBA program to her friendships with these same women. “We’ve been able to band together, and I feel like I can really relate to and lean on them,” she said. “I feel very grateful and very lucky. Having that support system goes a long way in feeling comfortable, accepted and acknowledged. I think my experience at Daniels would be really different if I didn’t have these women to talk with.”