Thank You Dr. Taylor

While there are many people I need to thank for helping me get where I am today, now is a great time to thank one special person who made this German adventure possible and helped me realize there's a whole world out there to discover.

One day in an MBA faculty meeting, which I attended as a student representative, Dr. Taylor said the staff should try harder to allow graduate students to study abroad for short-term exchange programs. The idea mostly fell on deaf ears as there were lots of other priorities to worry about, but I went straight to him after the meeting and asked how I could help make it happen. I wanted to be one of those students and I wanted to make it possible for others as well!

For weeks I worked with our program director and exchange program coordinator to try and find something to fit in our lock-step (less than flexible) curriculum. And we did it!!! We found a great two-week seminar called "Doing Business in the Enlarged European Union" at the HHL Graduate School of Management in Leipzig, Germany. The participants spent one week in Leipzig, located in eastern Germany, and one week in Prague, Czech Republic. These are both areas that were part of the expanded EU, and are gaining steam and catching up with the western cultures. The students learned how they are progressing and how to enter the market for interested businesses.

We were able to work out a partnership with HHL and three students from my class, including myself, participated in the program overseas. It was an amazing experience!

That alone would have been enough to broaden my horizons since I had never stepped foot outside the country, but Dr. Taylor was kind enough to introduce me to another eye opening international experience.

Our school has a joint program with a German company to allow working German professionals to earn a US-based MBA by taking some classes in the States and some in Germany. When the German students came to our campus, my cohort was invited to join the students for their leadership class. Again, being the opportunist that I am, I jumped at the chance and nearly killed myself taking a double load of classes from 9-3 all day and 6-9 in the evenings. That only lasted a week and a half and, of course, I survived, so it wasn't the end of the world. Those few days were rough, but worth it as I was able to see an international perspective on business, leadership and management.

Plus, that's what I met Alfons, Peter, Andreas, Nils and Thorsten (aka team SeaValley). These guys (along with Dr. Taylor's encouragement) convinced me to move to Germany after graduation, and the rest, as they say, is history! (And I suppose that takes you back to where my blog begins.)

So thanks again, Dr. Taylor, for leading me in the right direction and offering so much support. My life will never be the same!!!