Hadjer Bensaha - Peru 2019 & London City Break 2020
Utah State University is the first school that has given me the opportunity to discover myself through its different programs and departments. As a business student, the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business provides me with an excellent vision of the world from a business perspective. I had the honor to participate in global experiences in Peru and London with the Huntsman Global Learning Experience Program.
In May 2019, I participated in the Peru Summer Program where I had the opportunity to understand the entrepreneurship world. It was a spectacular experience and the most wonderful trip I have ever had. I experienced the feeling of friendship and family with our group. The trip was on my wish list to accomplish during my college life. It was not just a business trip but a trip where we learned and discovered a lot about ourselves and what we are able to do. We got the chance to leave our locked box and be open to the world, to a country that is totally different from the US and Algeria (my country of origin).
Peru was a good choice by our university to direct the Aggies to a global learning experience program. It broadened my perspectives and horizons. My network has been greatly widened. I have a much better understanding of the Latin American countries, socially, culturally, historically, and economically now. I still recall memories every day from the program, the business visits, the museums, the hotels, the Catholic churches, the Inca temples, the Sacred Valley, the city of Chan Chan (the capital of Chimu and also the second largest adobe city in the world after Morocco), the Inca ruins, the sandboarding, and Machu Picchu.
From our visits to the businesses and our SEED projects, I have learned many meaningful lessons such as: my success is always a factor of how well I treat others, including my teammates and customers, choosing my business partner wisely as I saw in the Angel Salinas shoe store, having a guiding mission with a clear vision, knowing my expenses, revenues, and net income and recording everything, that’s something that most starting businesses in Peru don’t consider like Eliza Garcia Villacorta (the street food lady), separating my business finances from my own daily life, taking the risk is good as an entrepreneur but it is better to study and know more about your industry as we saw in our visit to the oven maker, and looking for opportunities and new paths from the last experiences as Noriko Panta did, by changing her business from a restaurant to building a new app.
Being organized is the key to success and having a strategy each time that something doesn’t work as expected. Negotiation is a key in the business world that I have seen in Algeria and Peru as well but not in the US. Learning by doing and specialization is a good strategy to grow up. Each country has its own business system, like in Peru, they don’t use that much technology but they rely on laborers. Also, their way of selling and marketing is way different than the US. They use old methods such as publishing in newspapers, street advertisements, posters, and workers advertising in the streets. They use cheap methods that accompany their society.
In March 2020, I participated in the London City Break Program under the leadership concept. London is one of the most important cities in the world that is recognized as a global business hub. I had the chance to develop my global awareness through the business visits and the city rounds in London. Throughout the trip, I learned many things related to the business world in general and to leadership in particular. I identified key leadership learning points that changed my view on leadership in business: the importance of individual work, that big ideas can become real projects, understanding people is the key of every business when asking the question “Why?” we would get the answer of our motivation, and the value of impression in our daily life. Leadership is not about the look, appearance, or loud voice but it is about what you do to serve the change, individuals, and society. Lord Hastings said: “Every contact leaves a trace! What is your trace on people?” That is really what I am trying to figure out while in school, my trace. Lord Hastings’ advice for future leaders: learn from people, be a good listener, seek to understand first, get to know people because they are good mentors, use all your capacities, let your imagination out, be a learner, when you give you get more, work on your reputation because it is the difference between the market value of the business and its revenue.
I have gained a variety of knowledge that would help me to split toward my international business career: “As many business leaders understand, a global mindset cannot be taught, it comes with experience”. My experience in Peru is going to be engraved in my mind. We visited large and small businesses which allowed me as a student to clear the blurriness of some thoughts in my mind about many points. In the meanwhile, the London trip was my life opportunity that I will never regret. I grew mentally so much in eight days. I have shaped my personality to be a great leader based on what I learned in class, business visits, and everyday activities. I have become like an eagle that has an open view to see the world as it is with deeper thinking and richer wisdom.
