During my spring break this past year, I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to travel to Scotland and Ireland with the business department at my college. It was such an incredible experience! I was 17 at the time and it was the most independent action I had ever taken. There is another side to this story that I will tell next week, but for now, I am going to focus on why traveling as a business student to another country is beneficial in the aspect of becoming more educated in the business field.

The trip counted as a three-credit class and all I had to do to earn the credits was conduct a Business Environment Analysis Report (BEAR), Market Entry Strategy Analysis (MESA) and Market Intelligence Report (MIR). The assignment was laid out for a group of four or more to work on, but since the other underclassmen had previously taken Global Business, I had to research the project all by myself. That assignment alone taught me so much more than I ever thought I could learn about the business environment in Ireland. The project ended up being 26 pages long and I made an exhibit at the Academic Symposium in April 2016. The layout of the project for the trip was so incredible. I was taught so much about foreign business, which I hope will give me a competitive advantage in the future. Now, let me talk about the business aspects of the trip itself.

The trip was nine days, including travel. During those nine days, our group was able to meet with a member of Scottish Parliament who explained to us a little bit about the government in Scotland and how it differs from America. We had a personal tour around a local university where we were taught how the educational system functions. While we were at the university, we had a meeting with a prospering local business owner who makes loose-leaf tea bags, both fresh and convenient. During that meeting, our group learned how a small business owner had grown from nothing into a business who is looking to expand in the near future. Over in Ireland, we were able to have a meeting with the CEO of a non-profit organization, Ortus. Ortus is an organization that helps local businesses grow in impoverished areas. Because of the work Ortus does, crime has gone down, and local revenue increased, resulting in fewer households beneath the poverty line. That all resulted from an increase of jobs opening up to the people in the area. Every day of the trip incorporated an important business lesson that I will hold with me for the rest of my life.

In my opinion, I think every student, regardless of major, should expose themselves to another culture's way of approaching what you want to do in life. I was so inspired by the business trip, that I am looking into possibly getting my Masters at the University College of Cork, which I previously never thought about until visiting another country.

The main point I am trying to get at is everybody should travel to open up their horizons. There are endless possibilities and opportunities for anybody who is willing to reach out and chase after their dreams. Nothing is impossible unless you make it impossible. Start breaking down the barriers holding you back from the challenges and changes you may need to make in your life. Anything is possible if you just believe you're capable of achieving your goals.