Hello, my name is Cooper Zentner. I am currently a freshman majoring in finance, mathematics, and economics. I am from Mount Lebanon, PA just 20 minutes south of Pittsburgh. I have a bit of an unconventional love of sports, as I was born in Chicago, grew up in Pittsburgh, yet am a die-hard Packer’s fan. However, for baseball and hockey I am a Pittsburgh fan through and through, despite how hard it has been the past couple years. In highschool, I participated in international exchange programs with a school just outside of Köln, Germany. This exchange program exposed me to different cultures and ideas and was an amazing opportunity. It inspired me to travel and explore the world and as of this past summer, I have been to seven countries across Europe, including Croatia and Iceland. 

This experience has inspired me to choose the Plus 3 program as I enjoy learning about and experiencing new cultures. I believe that immersing yourself in a foreign culture is the best way to gain an understanding of the world, and travelling to Vietnam is one way I can understand the world just a little bit better. My roommate is an international student from Vietnam, and talking to him about the culture and experiences available in Vietnam led me to choose it as my Plus3 location. While in Vietnam, I want to try different foods and learn about how business is done abroad. My roommate has told me about the importance of respect in the culture and over Thanksgiving he bowed to my parents when meeting them. This was unexpected for me, as in America it is most common to just shake hands when greeting new people, so I expect to learn a lot about how to show respect in Vietnamese culture.  

I also expect to further my professional goals on this trip. Learning how to interact with business people from other cultures is an important step in becoming successful in the business world. No longer is the business world restricted within a country, but because of globalization, business is conducted around the world and every country is integrated with one another. By learning to adapt to Vietnamese culture and doing business in a foreign setting, not only will I be prepared to do business in Vietnam, but I will also learn how to adapt to any other cultures I may need to throughout my career.