My name is Alex McCurdy and I am currently a week away from completing my freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration. I am originally from West Chester, Pennsylvania which is about an hour west of Philadelphia. Now after a full year here at Pitt, I am so happy with my choice as I have already learned so much, truly “From the Classroom, To the City, To the World!” Currently, I am pursuing a major in Finance or Supply Chain Management with certificates in International Business and Leadership & Ethics. I am an active member of Women in Business, Pitt Dance Marathon which is the largest philanthropic organization at Pitt, and a professional business fraternity, Phi Gamma Nu.
The main reason I was so interested in Pitt was their vast opportunities for study abroad, as I knew how much I love to travel and gain exposure to new cultures and meet new people. I actually plan to study abroad at least three times during my time at Pitt. Last summer, I studied to Ireland through the Woodcock Global Honors Fellowship and next spring I hope to spend a semester abroad through the Global Business Institute completing an internship in either London or Sydney. This time, in just two short weeks, I will be going to Argentina through the Plus3 Program to study healthcare management.
After hearing about Plus3, I immediately marked my calendar for the month of May in anticipation. Yet, when I heard about the new location added, Argentina, I was even more excited. After studying Spanish all throughout middle school, high school, and into my college career, I was excited to be able to use what I learned in class to interact with natives. Previously, I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Peru during my high school career, and while I think Argentina will have some similarities, it is a whole other country with a unique culture I am fascinated to explore, and in particular, study their healthcare system. Coming to Pittsburgh was also driven by my desire to be close to a growing healthcare industry. UPMC is highly developed in the area and I’ve always had a dream of working in a hospital setting, just not on the clinical side, but rather the business end. Being able to see how that applies to different sectors of the industry, such as the Ministry of Health, public & private hospitals, community centers, and the pharmaceutical industry is going to be very beneficial in gaining perspectives and solidifying my career aspirations.
Moving forward, my Plus3 group was assigned to the sector of pharmaceuticals in Argentina. I am particularly interested in this topic because in high school I had a short internship in a local pharmaceutical company and learned about the industry in the United States through a business perspective. Therefore, it has already been so interesting to compare to Argentina’s regulations, specifically as I investigated the supply chain from the point of manufacturing drugs and medical devices through transport to the patient. I hope to explore this topic first-hand through site visits in-country.
Overall, between cultural, academic, professional, and personal components to Plus3, I cannot wait to experience these two weeks abroad and share all that I have learned and all the memories made.