My name is Aaryanna Dawson-Sarabia and I am thrilled to be travelling to China this summer to learn about the smart phone industry! I am a freshman in the College of Business Administration at Pitt and I plan on majoring in Finance and Supply Chain Management, while also pursuing a minor in French and participating in the Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics. At Pitt, I am also a part of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, I am a member of the Fashion Business Association, and I enjoy participating in intramural basketball. I am originally from Palos Verdes, California, a coastal suburb outside of Los Angeles, so I’m used to being a long way from home. In addition, I have two older sisters Leilani, who also lives and Pittsburgh, and Karmi, who lives back home in California with my mom and my dog Jazzy.

I am extremely excited to be travelling to China and getting the chance to learn about a completely different culture and explore a vibrant and historic country. I am a very adventurous and inquisitive person, so I am very motivated to get the most out my time abroad. I am also very interested to learn about the smart phone industry in China because we use our cell phones everyday, so this industry impacts millions, if not billions of people, across the globe. Additionally, China is an industrial powerhouse and is responsible for the manufacturing of a huge amount of products, so it will be interesting to learn how they manage business on such a large, international scale. I think I have a lot to learn from the smart phone industry and I think it will be particularly helpful in my career later on because I would like to work in international business, most likely in the retail industry, so this will give me great exposure and insight into how global supply chains work. More immediately, this experience will also help me better understand the classes I take at Pitt as I pursue a major in Supply Chain Management.

In addition to gaining incredible experience exploring such a prominent industry, I look forward to experiencing everything China has to offer from the cultural side. With such a rich history there is no shortage of historic sites that I cannot wait to visit including the Great Wall, the terracotta warriors, and the forbidden city, among many more. I am also anxious to try the authentic Chinese cuisine and learn more about their everyday customs. I believe that exploring a culture so different from my own will allow me to experience a tremendous amount of personal growth by allowing me to consider new perspectives and become more open minded and eager to try new things. Also, I think this program will help me become more independent as I have to learn how to navigate day to day life in a country on the other side of the world. Departure is fast approaching, and I cannot wait to expand my classroom by 7,000 miles as I say ShangHI to China.