Hi everyone! My name is Aubrey Baumiller, and I am from Perryopolis, PA, which is about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh. I am a first-year business student at the University of Pittsburgh, double-majoring in accounting and marketing with a pre-law focus, as I plan to go to law school right after undergrad. On campus, I am involved in Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, Women in Business, Blue and Gold Society, where I am external events chair, and I am part of the University of Pittsburgh Club Cheer Blue Team. Outside of classes I enjoy spending time with my pets when I’m home, I have three dogs and one cat whose names all start with a C, and spending time hanging out with my friends.
Last summer, I completed the Haller Global Honors Fellowship, where I spent two weeks studying in Ireland with Pitt Business. Through that experience, I learned how beneficial studying in other cultures is because you can learn so much by simply interacting with people from other countries, which is why I chose Plus3. I specifically chose Plus3 Morocco because of the emphasis on technology and entrepreneurship because I took a lot of engineering and technology classes in high school which got me interested in the topic. Additionally, I thought it was quite intriguing how Morocco is creating a startup culture for a lot of new tech companies when not to long ago the country was not known for any technology. Seeing how Morocco is building this new technology industry from the ground up is something I couldn’t experience anywhere else and I’m excited to learn from the entrepreneurs who are shaping it.
Out of this trip professionally, I would like to continue developing the international business skills I learned in Ireland, but in a more challenging way. Morocco will bring a language barrier as well as cultural differences I have not had to face before. Wether its different business practices or communication styles, I’m ready to adapt and learn to better develop my international business skills and make new connections that cross borders so that I can grow into a more globally minded person. Furthermore, being able to think globally and approach problems with cross-cultural awareness will be something that I will be able to bring into law school in the future.
Outside of my professional goals, I am very excited to get to live with a host family because sharing a home with a Moroccan family means experiencing daily life in a hands-on way, instead of from the outside if I were to be staying in a hotel. Personally, I think this will help me grow in many ways, especially by pushing me out of my comfort zone, which will help me build new cross-cultural connections that I would not have gotten any other way.
Next stop Morocco!
– Aubrey