Suffolk Global MBA Internships

Global MBA Internships Kick off Next Week

Students meet with their advisor to plan their experience abroad. 

Final thoughts in Shanghai.. From Pat GMBA Intern at Coca-Cola China

Hi All,

My finance team has prepared a going away dinner for me tonight (Friday) at a restaurant in downtown Shanghai. I cannot even begin to explain how much I needed this opportunity to grow and develop both personally and professionally.  I was very nervous about heading to a place I had never been before and had absolutely no exposure to the language. I would conclude with confidence that I held my own in China and earned the respect of all those I came in contact with.

I am on the younger end of the GMBA candidates and I took a risk by coming to an unfamiliar environment and it paid off. Although I am far from where I want to be careerwise, I feel that this first step was a success and look forward and openly welcome any other endeavors that come my way.

I hope you all enjoyed my blogs and I will say this again, this has been one of the best years of my young life and the GMBA at Suffolk University is a key reason for that.

I look forward to presenting to everyone my "beautiful story" as I have alot to share both positive and negative about my time in China.

-Pat

A final Ciao! Ciao! from Andrea, Global MBA project in Italy

Ciao!

 I cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by!  When I look back it is hard to believe that I accomplished as much as I did in this short period of time. The educational experience I had this summer with the Cimicchi family and the professional growth I achieved are, what I consider, the highlight of my time in the Global MBA program at Suffolk University.  I learn best by doing and this opportunity not only enabled me to apply what I have learned in my GMBA classes to my project but I was also able to share my knowledge with the Cimicchi family which will help strengthen the future of their business. 

I enjoyed the challenge of this marketing consultant project as well as the opportunity to gain international work experience that I feel is important to secure a job abroad one day.  That aside, the personal growth I achieved this summer is invaluable. When I began this project, I was not sure what to expect and I was a little concerned that the family would be a little weary of this “young American girl coming in and making recommendations on a business that we know” – but it was the complete opposite.  I was able to show them how much I learned from classes at Suffolk University and in my current position at the Boston Design Center, quickly earning their trust and respect. A few days after I arrived they began coming to me with questions about marketing or just to make sure I was in agreement with a decision they made. It was truly a validating experience knowing that I was helping this company make their mark in the olive oil industry.  Being part of the initial marketing and branding decisions and the insight I gained is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
With that I will officially "sign off" - I hope you found my updates entertaining and possibly swayed you to schedule a meeting with Dean Hallberg to find out more information about Suffolk's GMBA program :-)   - As I mentioned before, I would be happy to chat with anyone considering the program or interested in learning more about Italy or Boston. 

Thank you to everyone who has been there for me throughout this and my entire GMBA experience – I would have had a few gray hairs without your support!

Ciao! Ciao!

All my best,

Andrea Pupek

Farewell Singapore! From Megan, Global MBA Intern at BMC in Singapore

Well, dear readers, the time has come for my final blog entry from Singapore, as I depart here on Monday and have finished my Suffolk Global MBA internship here at BMC. Perhaps this is a time for reflection about my overall experience and for the “sentimental” part, if you will.

Coming into this 3 month internship at BMC in Singapore, my goal was to gain a better understanding of this corner of the globe on both a personal and professional level. I wanted to challenge myself way beyond my comfortable zone. As an avid traveler, I live for culture shock and for new experiences all over the world. 

Coming to Asia- alone- really took this to a whole new level. When I was offered this internship, I came knowing that this part of the globe was an incredible place to learn about emerging markets and also to feel the influence of two of the BRIC’s countries in such close proximity- India and China.  I also had a really strong desire to understand the cultural and business differences in eastern culture vs west. I strongly desired to build for myself, a routine and sense of normalcy here. Not only to live, but to thrive in Singapore and at work each day, to try to expand my mind as far as it could go.

I can leave now knowing that I’ve done a good job. I’ve gained the respect of my peers as a professional here and I’ve learned so much, I feel as if my brain could explode!  I’ve made wonderful friends from everywhere in the world, that I will miss dearly, and I’ve also had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout SE Asia.

For me, travel is a teacher far more important than anything you can learn in a classroom. It furthered my understanding of business cultures throughout different nations. Overall, this experience has met all of my expectations, and while I’m very sad it’s over, I feel I can return to the US with a huge advantage professionally.

In closing, all I can offer is my advice both to potential Global MBAs and traveling fools like me.

I was afraid at first, because I didn’t have a ton of money to fund this trip, and I also had to quit my job in Boston to take this internship. So, my advice to you is: Don’t be afraid to take the risk, because the reward is always greater.

I’ve pushed myself beyond my limits and comfortable zone and came out with the most enriching cultural and professional experience thus far in my life. What I pictured Asia to be beforehand, and what Asia actually IS are two very, very different things and I challenge everyone at some point in their life to experience it.

Thanks for your support along the way, and I look forward to seeing all my fellow GMBA’s soon!

Signing off in Sunny Singapore!

Megan

PS- Attached is a photo on my last day, with my 2 mentors, VP of Sales for Asia-Pacific Chip Salyards (a Boston guy), and Marketing Manager for Asia Pacific, Lynn Tan.

 

Holland in my memories- from Ben, Global MBA Intern at Philips in Netherlands

This will be my last blog as I am returning to the U.S. Monday.  My last day at Philips went well as I did not really have much to take care of since all my deliverables were due on Thursday. It was actually a very relaxing way to end as I was able to say good bye to the people that were there and have a low pressure day. My time at Philips was incredible and my marketing project did, I think add value to the company.

As I prepare to go to bed for the last time in Europe, I am reminded of the nervous excitement I felt just 3 months ago, preparing to come here. It is a truly bittersweet feeling. I am very excited to go home but sad to be leaving.  

I was just reading Megan's blog about her experience in SE Asia and her encouragement to move forward.  I can speak as someone who was not much of a traveler before this summer. I still want to echo her sentiment.  It was a great experience and something that I would recommend for everyone.  I didn't have to give up a job to come on this internship though, since I am a full time student.  But I did have to leave my wife back in the U.S. and that was a tough thing for me.  As hard as that was for me, I know that I succeeded in what I came here to do.  To gain international marketing experience, to push my comfort level, to put myself in a difficult situation and see how I handled it.  After this experience I know that I am much more prepared for my next job.  And that is why I am pleased that I made the sacrifice that I did.  

I want to thank everyone for their support while I was in the Netherlands and thank all of you out there reading this blog.  Hopefully I was able to entertain you and maybe inform you.  Thank you for your time and interest in both myself and my Suffolk Global MBA classmates' travels and internship experiences.  

I hope everyone that has traveled for their internships gets home safely, and enjoys their last few days/week of work.  I look forward to seeing you all very soon. 

Ben 

Final blog from Hang, Suffolk Global MBA Intern in Finance, Boston

Hi all,

Those of you reading this and not in the Suffolk Global MBA, you'll remember that I am Hang, a Suffolk Global MBA from Viet Nam, in the international finance concentration.

The summer went by fast. It is time for us to come back to our Suffolk University.

I had a great experience at eSecLending as a Credit Risk Analyst for my Suffolk Gloal MBA internship. There are multiple positive aspects that have materialized as a result of this six of credit internship in risk analyses finishing. My colleagues are so nice to me and I have learned a lot from them as well.  A special note of thanks must be given to eSecLending and Suffolk GMBA for giving me the opportunityy to work in this professional environment. It was a great experience for me.

The most significant positive aspect of the internship was that my knowledgebase related to the regional bank industry has been enhanced. Over time, I realized that banks were a species of enterprise more fascinating than I had imagined. I came to understand why so much is obscured by jargon, and why banks are treated differently than other companies. As a result, their financial reports differ from others. Bank credit analysis is a conspicuously entertaining subject. “A bank lives on credit. Till it is trusted it is nothing; and when it ceases to be trusted, it returns to nothing” --Walter Bagehot. I fell in love with this kind of analysis I think J

Other positive aspects of the internship have been my growing expertise in the field of credit risk analysis.  The skills required to be a successful credit risk analyst include an acute attention to detail and the ability, and willingness to work with numbers and a good background in accounting and in fixed-income instruments. A number of financial data such as profitability and earnings quality, capitalization, assets quality, liquidity and funding over the past fiscal period-times and their trends over the past period-times are evaluated in comparison with its closest peers. This along with understanding the economic environment in which they operate as the global market recovers from the financial crisis and new financial regulations are put in place.

In addition, I have become more exposed to the overall process of acquiring and analyzing data.  I now know where significant pieces of information can be found through resources available on the Internet as well as financial data agencies such as Moodys, S&P, or Bloomberg.  This knowledge is something I can take with me and apply to future Global MBA classes and to my career.

I achieved my goals of learning in this internship.

It is my final Blog today.  Not to be forgotten: to express my gratitude to our Dean Hallberg who played an important part for giving me this experience. Also, thanks to you all for being my friends here in U.S. This wonderful time with you in Suffolk University will be always in my mind.

I am looking forward to see you all soon in school.  

Hang

Last Montreal Moments: from Global MBA Intern Toey, at SNC-Lavalin

Hello everyone,

If you remember from my other blogs, I am from Thailand and in the Global MBA marketing concentration. In my last week of my marketing internship at SNC Lavalin in Montreal, I finished my tasks:  website proposal, marketing plan proposal, and brochure contents. I feel really glad and relieved that I actually added value to the company and the people there are taking my contributions into consideration.

Friday August 20^th, 2010 was the last day for my Global MBA marketing internship in Montreal. I had mixed feelings of being happy and sad at the same time.

I feel that my work, tasks, and assignments were successfully completed. In other words, my missions were completed. My last week of working at SNC-Lavalin as an intern would not be successful without the support and encouragement from my colleagues and supervisor. I felt relief that my supervisor and colleagues liked and bought into my marketing approach ideas for a specific project in Africa.   

My supervisor gave me an opportunity to present this marketing plan to the Vice President of the Communication Department. This was on short notice. I did not expect to present my own ideas to the management level on the very last day at work. I was nervous, excited, and anxious at the beginning when I received the order from my supervisor, but even with those feelings, I managed to get everything done  in line with the time constraints of only a few hours of preparation. I finished my plan, prepared slides, and then went up to the top floor for the presentation. I felt honored and it was the most meaningful experience of my entire internship time.

On another note, Montreal’s subway has a very heavy door on the entrance and exit. I think it may be because it is for heavy wind resistance. Most people have to push it very hard to open the door. There is an old man who holds the door for every morning during rush hours from 7-9 am so many people can walk in and out there. On my last day, I gave him some money to thank him for holding the door for me every morning on my way to work and he was so happy that he said “Merci Merci”.

Over the weekend, August 21 - 22, 2010, I could feel the weather change. This means a wind of change has arrived. I spent most of the time packing and preparing for the trip to go back to Boston. As I mentioned earlier, I had mixed feelings.  I felt empty that I had to leave my good friends and moments there, but, I also felt excited that I will meet my old friends in Boston too.  The moments of packing things, throwing out unused stuff, carrying luggage, and watching the bus taking off from the dock: these made me realize that it’s time to travel again and the unknown future is exciting and waiting for me. I know it sounds so dramatic but I know that most readers will understand it. J

Last night, August 23,2010, my best Japanese friend,Yasuha, who I met in Montreal, came to see me at my apartment before I left. My colleague, Souad, from work came by to see me and took some stuff I left for her. I gave food and empty bottles to the old homeless man who was searching for glass bottles at the garbage bin. My two Thai friends, Da and Poo, who I met in Montreal, came by to help me clear things and saw me off at the bus terminal. I really appreciated my friends' help and was grateful for everything. 

2 months ago, in Montreal, I bought my first plant. It dried and produced no flowers. It is a euphorbia plant with little red flowers. It does not need a lot of water but needs a lot of sun. My Japanese friend, Yasuha, bought me a new bigger one. At first it almost died too, but I managed to keep them alive and growing beautifully. Unfortunately, last night, I had to give my beloved plants to Da and Poo. I will really miss my plants because I have been watching them and taking care of them every day. I googled up the meaning of this plant. The plant can predict the owner's luck by looking at the number of flowers. When I first got them, all the flowers had fallen, but then they started and continued to grow like in this photo. So, basically, I am quite attached to them. 

 

This internship is my last piece of my Global MBA life here in Boston. I am really glad I did the internship at SNC-Lavalin for this summer 2010. I am also very thankful to everybody who is part of my life here in Montreal.

At this moment, I am back in Boston and I am very excited for the future comings as life goes on....on....and on.

Best wishes,

Toey

Adios! - Ashwini - Global MBA Intern at UniFirst Corporation

Hi

Days flew by so quickly. I am done with my internship at UniFirst Corporation.

It took me a while to wrap up, to remove all the pictures from my cubicle, my name tag and everything. It was worse to see it all white washed back again.

My last day at UniFirst was a memorable one. My colleagues bought me a yummy chocolate cake with nuts and a farewell card

 

I even got an opportunity to present in front of the Vice President of Marketing and all the regional sales managers of UniFirst and tell them all about my research study. It was an amazing experience.

I thank Suffolk's Global MBA for giving me this opportunity. I learned a lot from my corporate supervisor and faculty advisor.

At the onset, it seemed really difficult. But now, when I look back, I feel a void in my life. I would definitely miss all my team members, the lunches, the Wednesday recharge sessions, the challenging moments and the times we all had a laugh over things. My final group pic:

I feel all rejuvenated and geared up to go back to school and take with me all the memories of my internship.

Ashwini

My trip to Vietnam from Megan, Global MBA intern at BMC in Singapore

Hey everyone!
As my internship winds down, I wanted to to do just one more quick trip before I head back to the US. Last weekend my friend Jackie and I took a weekend trip to the southern part of Vietnam and had a wonderful time! Today, for my last day at BMC we hosted a Technology Day at the Intercontinental hotel in Singapore. During lunch, I was meeting and greeting the guests, many who had traveled down from Vietnam. It was a wonderful way to break the ice at the conference and discuss last weekends trip! I'm so happy I went. Enclosed are some photos:

HO CHI MINH CITY IN THE MORNING:

 
TRAFFIC IN HO CHI MINH

THE MIGHTY MEKONG RIVER

 

THAT'S ME! ON A BOATRIDE THROUGH THE MEKONG

SHOOTING AN AK-47 IN THE CU CHI REGION

THE ENTRANCE TO THE CU CHI TUNNELS WHERE THE VIET CONG HID FROM THE AMERICANS

MY SINGAPOREAN FRIEND JACKIE AND I IN DISTRICT 1 OF HO CHI MINH CITY: SAIGON

 

Holland on my Mind.... All good things must come to an end from Ben, Global MBA Intern at Philips in the Netherlands

Hey everyone! It's Ben writing from the Netherlands where I have spent the summer interning at Philips.  I have been looking at the marketing and positioning of a product here called the Activa. 

It has been a great learning experience.  I have no doubt in my mind this has been the single greatest learning experience of my life. I can't say enough good things about this experience I have had.  Unfortunately as I stated in the title, this experience is ending, and soon.  

I can't believe that all the planning and setting up for the summer, and all the excitement, fun, some anxiety will all be ending so soon. The three months have just flown by.  

Tomorrow I have a meeting with my boss where I am presenting my final recommendations and report to him. Although I am prepared to make that presentation to him, I just can't believe that the time has come for me to give it to him.  

It feels like it was just last week when I was figuring out what project I was going to work on.  I can look back on the body of work I have put together while I was here, and see the different directions I looked.  It is really impressive all that I have accomplished in just three months.  

I am so pleased that I took this opportunity to take advantage of what the Global MBA has to offer, as when I first applied I couldn't really imagine myself living abroad for a summer away from my wife and my friends in the U.S. I don't think I really thought too much about what that experience would be like.  I am certain that I learned as much in the time I spent in the office as I did in my time away from work, learning about myself. Gaining confidence and independence every day.  

I guess I need to thank my wife (Bridget) for embracing the idea of me being away for the summer with such enthusiasm. Almost too much excitement.  But I am sure she knew that it would be a learning experience for me that I could not replicate in any other way.  

I am finishing work today and looking around and seeing my friends here at Philips and I truly am sad that I have to say goodbye soon to all of them. Unlike when I have left internships or jobs in the U.S. I realize that we may not see each other again.  Luckily we can email and stay in touch, but I really didn't expect to make such great friends and strong bonds in just three months.  

I will also miss the great opportunity I have had to see more of the world, as I had never been to Europe before this year.  Since May I have been to Spain, Belgium, France, the UK, The Netherlands (obviously) and Germany.  

Although I am sad to be leaving here, I am very excited to see my classmates back in Boston and discuss their experiences as I am sure they have enjoyed themselves and grown as much as I have.    

Below are some pictures from my amazing trip to Barcelona this past weekend. This traveling has been great:

Park Guell

Gaudi architecture and me

the beach

Park Guell

Great view

 

Park Guell