My name is Claire Staines, and I am a rising sophomore in Pitt Business. I intend to double major in supply chain management and business information systems, minor in statistics, and receive a certificate in business analytics. I am currently involved in Women in Business, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, and Fashion Business Association, which I will be Director of Fundraising for in the fall. I am from New Stanton, PA, which is about 45 minutes from Pitt. In my free time, I like to spend time with family and friends, workout, do hair/makeup, and go shopping. I am very interested in fashion, so I can’t wait to travel to the fashion capital of the world, Milan!

I was extremely excited to hear that Pitt offers a Plus3 program in Italy dealing with supply chain management in the textile industry. This opportunity ties together my academic and extracurricular interests in a very hands-on way. The Plus3 program will also be rather useful in my professional career, as I will be able to apply my new knowledge of supply chain management in the workplace. The best part about it all: I won’t even feel like I’m learning in the process!

I am beyond excited to go on site visits to various companies, sight-see, go shopping, see Italian fashion, and most importantly, try the delicious food that Italy has to offer. I have never traveled abroad before, so I can’t wait to see what it’s like! I am also really looking forward to making new friends on the trip. I have a feeling that I will be very sad to leave after only a short 2 weeks.