International Business Major
"The Eberly College has done everything it can to steer me in directions I did not know existed and change the trajectory of my life into something more successful and more exciting than I knew a business college could ever manage."
Looking for a university is a difficult decision encumbered by many varying factors. I remember that I was looking for an affordable high-quality education. During my senior year of high school I received a thick packet full of high quality paper telling me I should apply to IUP's Honors College. I thought, "If they think I'm worthy enough to send me this very impressive packet then I have to apply." I was accepted the following April and was later accepted into the Business Honors program. Not realizing that I could major in Human Resources, I majored in International Business and concentrated in HR. That lucky mistake was fate.
Being an International Business major has been excellent and the business college made it worth it. Being international, I knew I had to study abroad and I thought my language abilities were almost none and so I should go to England and speak English. My Eberly study abroad advisor had other ideas. I'll never forget when he asked me, "How far out of your comfort zone are you willing to go?" And I am never one to turn down a challenge. Eberly formed a brand new study abroad partnership with Korea University in South Korea my sophomore year they started taking students for the following academic year. I was the first to apply and be accepted to the program. Never in my life had I ever dreamed of going to South Korea or even taken time to study Asia or know more that the average history class would teach me. Now, after that experience, my life has done a 180.
I lived with Korean roommates and traveled all over the country learning about history, traditions, and culture. I made lifelong friends and became unbreakably connected to a very different way of life. The experience left such a strong impression that upon my return that when I was informed about the Fulbright Scholarship I eagerly applied to return to Korea to teach English. In June of 2012 I accepted the Fulbright Scholarship.
The Eberly College of Business has taken me to Washington DC, New York City, Korea, and India. It has pushed me to achieve more than I knew I was capable of, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and all the time was supportive of my efforts. The faculty and staff have taken the time to mentor me, write references for me, and help me see that the world is bigger, better, and more diverse than what my eyes can process. I am so glad that I have had such wonderful people around me during my four years of college. As a freshman I did not know how to plan for my life, I just knew I was in college and that was good enough. But IUP and Eberly took hold of me and molded me into a goal-oriented ambitious person that can take advantage of opportunities. I would not be nearly as excited or prepared for what awaits me in the world without the encouragement of Eberly.