Babson Magazine

Spring 2014

Learning from Other Cultures

Nan Lian Garden, Hong Kong

Photo: Loren Romito
Nan Lian Garden, Hong Kong

Exploring Hong Kong on her own one day, Lorien Romito, director of education abroad, discovered this temple in Nan Lian Garden. Romito traveled to Hong Kong and Singapore during this past winter break as the administrator for one of Babson’s electives abroad.

Throughout the year, Babson offers about 18 graduate and undergraduate short-term courses that include travel during breaks to countries around the world. Trips may include visits to com-pany sites and cultural excursions. For students who seek an alternative to the more traditional education abroad programs, which run for a semester or full academic year, the courses offer a chance to experience other cultures firsthand.

Elise Beaudin, MBA’10, director of electives abroad, says the courses give students a chance to discover how what they’ve learned in class applies to different societies. “It’s also an opportunity to build their resume by seeing how businesses operate globally. There’s a lot of advantages to that,” she says.

Education abroad offers students insights into themselves as well, Beaudin adds. “They gain the perspective of different cultures,” she says, “and can reflect on how their exposure to these cultures affects their view of who they are and what they know.”—Donna Coco