Posts published in “Issue 1: February 2020”

By Gage Kaefring

Stepping off the 16 hour flight from Newark to Cape Town, I was woefully ignorant of the situation that gripped South Africa. I had read (some) of the pre-reading assigned to us for the course and I knew of the oppressive apartheid regime that had controlled the country before the early 1990s, but I had no true concept of the ripple effects created by that regime and the real human toll on those still dealing with the aftermath. Of course, logically, I should have realized that a system so oppressive and long would take many generations to reverse but I had not, for whatever reason, really considered the implications.…

By Scott Schreiber

The first thing I noticed when stepping off the plane to Mexico City in the beginning of January was the weather. Having traveled south from a frigid New York winter’s night, arriving in the sunny streets of Mexico was like stepping into summertime. Still wearing my winter coat and having just met up with one of my future classmates, we waited for an Uber to take us 15 kilometers into the heart of Mexico City, and into a week of nonstop adventure, learning, and fun!

The 16 students who signed up for DBi Mexico were truly stepping into the unknown.…

By Jessica Wong 

This January, 39 Sternies visited “the land down under” to learn more about doing business in Australia via in-class sessions and experiential activities in and around Sydney. This 3-credit course was partnered with the business school at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), was led by local Professor Christopher Jackson, and supported by Lisa Barrett (UNSW) and Kristin Fast (NYU). 

In this compressed two-week course, students visited local companies, such as Qantas Airways and Canva; learned about aboriginal culture and history; and tasted Australian dishes, ranging from kangaroo to crocodile. The Qantas Airways’ visit included an overview of the business and discussion about “Project Sunrise”, the company’s planned 19 hour direct flight from Sydney to New York that was trialed in late 2019.…

By Eric Bauer

In January, I had the privilege of joining 37 of my classmates on a trip to Costa Rica through Stern’s ‘Doing Business in’ (DBi) course. It was my first time to ever visit the country, and the curriculum, learnings, and fun that was had, made for a memorable trip.

The week started once I arrived at the InterContinental hotel in San Jose, where I was greeted by some of my closest friends and classmates. We relaxed during the first night over some drinks, caught up on how our holidays were, and rested before our early morning bus ride to INCAE Business School the next day.…

By Alyssa Wypychoski

It was Saturday night in Tel Aviv and forty Sternies crowded around the Renaissance hotel lobby bar for the Welcome Happy Hour. Some had just arrived straight from the airport, others spent the day wandering the city and beach; everyone excited for the upcoming two weeks in Israel. With an early start Sunday morning, the group hopped on the bus to meet our wonderful university hosts, Hila, Idit, and Inna, and driver, Avner. 

Our first day at Tel Aviv University (TAU) included a program inauguration, an “Israel at a Glance” course with Professor Uriya Shavit, and an onsite museum tour; Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.…