Study abroad trip to Brazil builds confidence, global insights for Montana State students

BOZEMAN - Students enrolled in a business fundamentals class at Montana State University traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, over spring break to learn about international business and gain insight into new cultures and global perspectives.

The MSU faculty-led trip to Brazil that took 17 students abroad was taught by professors Molly Taylor and Owen Borum. The class, BGEN 204, is a required introductory class for business majors in the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, and this semester the professors taught a special section that went to Brazil.

The offering is unique for study abroad as it is geared toward underclassmen, encouraging first- and second-year students to seek global experiences early in their college experience.

"We specifically designed this offering through Jabs to give freshmen a chance to study abroad right out of the gate," said Brian Gillespie, dean of the business college. "We understand how significant going abroad can be for students' academic and personal development throughout their time at MSU."

The Brazil trip is just one newer offering through the Jabs Global Campus initiative, which aims to maximize the number of MSU business students who go abroad seeking global perspectives. Many students opt for third-party semester programs that partner with local universities. But others choose shorter trips with their peers, led by MSU faculty, which include summer classes taught in Germany, Ireland and Japan.

"What we hope is that these students will perhaps consider a longer study abroad as they get further along in the business curriculum," said Taylor, who co-taught the Brazil class. "It's such a worldwide marketplace that as students become more comfortable in an international setting and dealing with different cultures, we hope their pursuits in the business world are informed by an international lens."

For nine days, Jabs students in BGEN 204 learned about Brazilian culture and engaged in activities that provided real-life insights into global business .

Class members spent a day on a coffee farm learning about what goes into growing the critical Brazilian export; attended a soccer game with some 60,000 fans; hiked the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain and observed the 98-foot-tall Christ the Redeemer statue, one of the world's seven wonders; and engaged in a slate of discussions and educational tours with academic leaders and industry partners.

Borum said he and Taylor selected Brazil as their destination in part because of its interesting position in current international trade. Brazil is a key partner in the BRICS network comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which seeks to reduce global reliance on the U.S. dollar.

In light of recent policy changes such as tariffs, Brazil sees the U.S. as a less stable trading partner than it once did, Borum said, a shift that came up in a class discussion with a Brazilian professor. The changing global playing field makes it an interesting time to teach business fundamentals and seek perspectives from other cultures, which the students were exposed to during their time with locals, including university students their own age.

Beyond the compelling academic reasons to take a business course abroad, Taylor added that much of the value of these trips is the confidence and global awareness they instill in students. That's why the business college is intentionally crafting more offerings geared toward underclassmen.

"You just see the world from a different perspective, and while you do learn about other cultures, you are also really learning about yourself. And you don't know what that lesson is until you go and do it," Taylor said.

Indeed, one student who enrolled in the class said the trip unlocked a confidence and curiosity within her that she didn't know she had.

Jenna Nate, who is from the southwest Montana town of Sheridan with a population of about 800, had never left the country before taking the lengthy plane ride to Rio de Janeiro. She was a rare senior in the class and had already taken BGEN 204, but she wanted to study abroad before graduating this spring with a business degree focused on accounting and management.

Upon seeing the trip flyer in Jabs Hall in December, she spoke with her adviser and registered just a week before spring semester classes started. At first, she was worried about not connecting with the younger students but soon realized those fears were unfounded as she grew close to peers with whom she plans to keep in touch.

"I saw the trip as the perfect opportunity to try new experiences and expand my horizons … It actually became an opportunity for my introverted self to try and be more social," Nate said.

Nate said the highlight of her experience was getting a firsthand look at the people and culture of Brazil, interacting with kind locals and attempting to learn a bit of Portuguese. The natural beauty of the country was also incredible, she said, adding that as a lifelong Montanan, it was thrilling to see wild monkeys on the class hike up Sugarloaf Mountain.

Nate said leaving the U.S. for the first time had a huge impact on her personal development.

"The confidence I gained from the trip … has made me more comfortable with trying new things here in the U.S. and even in Bozeman. I now try to make the most of everywhere I go and try as many new things as I can," Nate said. "The trip also increased my desire to travel in the future … I have gained so much confidence and curiosity to see other cultures … I wish I had looked into (study abroad) earlier in my college career."