Hi everyone! My name is Katie King and I am a freshman in the College of Business Administration studying Marketing and Finance with a minor in Film and Media studies and a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. While I’m unsure what I hope to pursue following my education at Pitt, I am excited to continue discovering my passions through the rest of my time here in Oakland.  
 
Growing up on the other side of the state, more specifically in Bucks County PA, I never imagined I would travel west to go to school in Pittsburgh, but here we are! Go Birds. In high school I was heavily involved in athletics, spending most of my time playing soccer and basketball. When I wasn’t playing sports, I was planning our prom through my involvement in student government or scooping ice cream at a local ice cream shop called The Inside Scoop. 
After coming to Pitt, I’ve spent most of my time exploring this wonderful city and meeting new friends through my participation in intramural basketball, Sports Business Association, and Phi Beta Lambda, a professional business organization. 
 
In just a few short weeks I will be travelling across the world to visit Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai, all very different and expansive cities in the most populated country in the world, China. Throughout this 2-week excursion we will be visiting many different companies, Chinese universities, and exploring the unique and historic landmarks that China has to offer. 
 
While I have been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit growing up, traveling to China is something that I never dreamed of doing and I am incredibly excited to experience such a different and unique culture. China’s booming industry and rapidly developing economy are events that business people should pay attention too and I am very excited to learn about businesses that are thriving in this economy. China’s efficiency and productivity in the technology industry has allowed the country to become a significant player in global business and I’m fortunate enough to get a first-hand look at this in a little under three weeks. While China’s booming economy is something I’m anxiously awaiting to learn more about, I am most excited to experience China’s vastly different culture. Simply walking around the cities and seeing how different they are from the U.S. will be life changing and I can’t wait!
 
While I abroad I hope to gain a better global understanding that will help me to appreciate the diversity that our world has to offer. A better understanding will guide me in learning from other cultures and their ways of life in attempt to incorporate those lessons into my own life. I hope to walk away from this international experience with having gathered answers to my questions from business executives as to how they successfully meet challenges that are brought upon each and every day and how they continue to find success. To me, every business is a global business and I can learn valuable lessons through this experience that will help me later on when I take on the challenges within my own profession. 
 
This adventure will present itself with many new challenges and experiences and I am looking forward to every second of it. I can’t wait for this journey to begin and I’m so excited for all the memories my classmates and I will create!