Puerto Rico

Overview

As a student in Lindner Business Honors, a small cohort of around 50 people, I was offered the opportunity to study abroad in a three-credit-hour class. Leading up to the week abroad, we met every Tuesday to learn about navigating business in a multi-cultural world. We heavily focused on The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer. This informational book places countries on eight different scales which are crucial to know when working with people of different cultures.
When signing up for the class, we were told it was going to be in a different country, but with regulations from the COVID-19 pandemic, we knew the chances of Europe were getting slimmer as we got closer to the reveal. Eventually, we were told we were going to Puerto Rico, but for me, a Puerto Rican who has been many times, I felt as if there was not much to learn. I was scared for people to go to a place I knew and loved, and I was not nearly as excited as before. However, I was greatly surprised by how much this experience impacted me. Leading up to travel, we students were given topics about Puerto Rico to present to the class. These presentations alone were full of knowledge where I learned more about my heritage. During the trip, I got to enjoy many things in the itinerary in a new way and experience a new side of Puerto Rico. I saw it from the eyes of a tourist and of a businesswoman. I learned a lot about navigating on my own in Puerto Rico rather than with family, and I am proud to represent such a beautiful island to my peers.