Business Black Bears study abroad
Damon Heads to Spain
University of Maine junior Brianna Damon is spending spring semester 2019 studying at Universitat Politècnica de València (Polytechnic University of Valencia) in Valencia, Spain.
Her courses there include international business and operations management. But because no trip abroad is complete without local flair, Damon is enrolled in elementary Spanish, windsurfing on the Mediterranean and partaking in Spanish cuisine.
Damon is choosing to stay with a host family for a full immersion experience.
“I’m doing a home stay,” she explains. “I’ll eat traditional foods and learn their everyday schedule.”
Though the purpose of her trip is to spend time in Spain, Damon says she’s most excited about the accessibility she’ll be afforded to travel throughout Europe.
“I’m hoping to go to multiple countries,” she says. “I’m really excited to meet new people and learn a new culture.”
Chartier studies Down Under
Junior Gabby Chartier will be studying abroad spring 2019 at Griffith University on Australia’s Gold Coast, where she will take classes in organizational behavior, personal selling and sales management, and entrepreneurship and new business ventures.
“I knew if I took business classes while I was there, it would keep me lined up to graduate on time,” she says.
According to Chartier, her real break will come in the form of co-curricular activities — or, more appropriately, the absence of them.
“Here (in Orono), my schedule is crazy because I’m so busy with my classes, my internship, club meetings and my sorority,” she says.
This semester abroad, while full of business coursework, represents a chance for Gabby to take a break from her hectic schedule and explore.
“I’m flying there Jan. 30 and classes don’t start until Feb. 25, so I’ll have almost a whole month to explore,” explains Chartier. “I’m most excited to go bungee jumping and (get) out of the cold weather.”