International Business and General Management Majors

Luise von Agris, 2017-18 Student Gallery Winner"My hometown is a relatively small town, called Castrop-Rauxel. It is located in the western part of Germany. I grew up surrounded by a younger brother, many older and younger cousins, and my dogs. I always had a very distinct passion for sports, especially for tennis. The dedication for this sport over the years gave me the opportunity to be able to study at IUP with a very generous athletic scholarship. IUP allowed me to live my biggest dream. However, it gave me more than just that. The Eberly College of Business and Information Technology and the staff have provided me with many opportunities to be successful as an athlete, as a student, and find success in my future career. IUP helped me grow as a person and build lifelong friendships, but most of all it gave me a home away from home.

"I selected IUP because of the girls on the team, the coach and mostly because of the excellent business school. I also loved the size of the school and the way it looked. Once I saw pictures of the Eberly College of Business and the Oak grove I fell in love with IUP and it has not changed since. Eberly did not just provide me with an outstanding education over the past four years, but also gave me the opportunity to build friendships that will last for a lifetime.

"One of those many opportunities I have been given over the years at IUP was the position as the captain of the women's tennis team. The experience of being a varsity athlete and college student taking classes thought me many things. Mostly, I learned excellent leadership, communication, and time management skills. As the leader of the tennis team I helped my teammate through tough times individually, but also helped my time as a whole to greater success. Since every single person is different, I had to adapt my communication and leadership style accordingly. This experiences also taught me to never give up, no matter how hard something seems to be. In sports and college there are times where nothing works the way you want it too. But being an athlete helped me to stay tough in these situations and change them to my favor. All of this benefited not just me but also the organization. I helped my teammates to get better and believe more in themselves.

"Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss only act as motivation."

"I also seemed to be a role model for my fellow students. Over the years, I experienced that many of my friends and classmates came to me when they needed help or advise. This was a very high honor for me. I had an opportunity to lead fellow students by example and helped them when they needed it. My teammates and I also benefited the athletic department by being incredibly successful. We won the PSAC championship title for the first time in school history in 2017 and were able to win it again in 2018. I also was able to win the Individual PSAC doubles title with my doubles partner the first time in school history. In addition to that, we qualified for the NCAA national championships (sweet 16). Next to being the captain of the women's tennis team is also was named the co-president of the Student Athlete advisory Committee, in addition to being a member of the International Business Association and the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society.

"My biggest accomplishment at IUP was being named an Academic All-American in addition to winning the Elite 90 Award, but also winning the 2017 PSAC championships for the first time in IUP history as a team and also with my partner in the double championships in 2016. Additionally, I was named the PSAC Championship Tournament MVP after repeating or victory in 2018.

"All in all, I could have not chosen a better school or major for myself. I will always consider IUP and the Eberly College of Business as my home away from home.

"Upon graduation, I am planning on going back to Germany and pursue a career in the healthcare industry while getting a master's degree in medicine management."