Brittnee Jacobson - Peru 2019

I had an opportunity to go to Peru with the Huntsman Global Experience and it, honestly, was life-changing. Not only did I get to be in a new country and learn about a new culture, which I was pumped for, but I was able to use and strengthen my Spanish, experience business in a developing country, gain direction for my future, and make lifelong friends. I was changed by the Global Experience in Peru. Before this experience, I knew what I wanted to study but I didn’t know what direction to go.

While in Peru, we worked one-on-one with a lady who owned a flower shop. Her family had owned the business for 20+ years and she needed help with a couple of setbacks. We helped brainstorm ideas with her and separately as a group. We later gave her a copy of the brainstorm and she started crying and repeatedly said, “Thank you, thank you.” We were also able to meet a sweet elderly man who had been working with the Huntsman SEED program (Small Enterprise and Education Development program) and Mentors International for a couple of years. He showed us his graduation certificate from years prior and it was still in perfect condition. He held it up with such a huge smile! From his hard work and determination, and the help from the programs, he has been able to add and improve his home, provide for his family, and send his two kids to college. 

These experiences, along with so many more, have helped me realize how much I enjoy working with individuals and watching them grow, helping in underdeveloped and developing countries, and my love for doing something that I feel makes a difference.  

It was amazing to see what I had learned in the classroom applied in real life. Many things from marketing, economics, and accounting classes that seemed like basics to me are not basics for everyone. The sweet lady who owned the flower shop rarely kept accounting records; she never knew when she was making or losing money.

The global experience also provided me with some of my greatest friends. Almost a year later these are friends that I go on runs with, get frozen yogurt with, turn to for advice or a laugh, plan future trips with, that I have classes with, and that I know I can call up any time. The professors were also amazing and ones that I look up to greatly! 

I found this quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald which I think sums up those three weeks in Peru perfectly, “It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you.” It was such an interesting feeling being home after being in Peru. I missed it, I was extremely grateful for it, and I was humbled by it. I view life with different eyes because of it. I am grateful for the opportunity the Huntsman School has provided for us to gain a deeper understanding and experience in the business field. 

Since being home from the global experience I know more who I am and who I want to be. I have been on two international internships and I’m currently interning for a multi-million-dollar international organization that operates in 36 locations throughout the world. I have such a love for helping others and the opportunities to do so were opened by participating in the Huntsman Global Experience.