Introduction:
My name is CJ Wright, and I’m a freshman majoring in Finance here at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Business. I grew up in Moon Township, just outside of Pittsburgh, where I kept busy playing sports and spending as much time outdoors as possible. Staying active and traveling the world never really left me. I’m someone who genuinely gets excited about new experiences, new places, and new perspectives, which probably explains a lot about why I ended up here writing a pre-departure blog post about Vietnam. On top of that, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Germany every summer since kindergarten, spending June and July living with at my grandparents in a completely different culture and language. Those experiences among many others shaped the way I see the world and gave me a deep appreciation for what you can only learn by actually being somewhere.
Academically and professionally, it is still early on in my Pitt career, but I’ve already been fortunate enough to gain some hands-on experience that has shaped where I’m headed. Last year, I had the opportunity to shadow and be mentored by the CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo, which gave me a front-row seat to high-level leadership, organizational management, and the unique challenges of running a major institution. It was the kind of real-world exposure you can’t get in a classroom, and it led me to Pitt Business. As a business student, I’m drawn to understanding how organizations operate across different industries and, increasingly, across different parts of the world, especially if it has to do with things like wildlife.
Why I chose Vietnam:
I chose the Plus3 Vietnam program because it checks every box for the way I learn best. I’m definitely a hands-on, visual learner. I absorb the most when I’m out in the world experiencing things directly rather than reading about them from a desk. Vietnam represents everything I find exciting: a culture I’ve never encountered and something new, a completely different lifestyle and economy, and a completely new part of the world for me. Despite traveling extensively throughout my life, I’ve never been to Asia, so I am very excited and that’s exactly what draws me to it. The combination of company visits, cultural immersion, it is orientated around my major, and classroom learning is the perfect format for someone like me.
