Hi! I’m Katie Terrell, an MMBA student with the Walton College. I’ll complete my first year with the master’s program this year, and am excited to have the opportunity to study International Economics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for three weeks to complement my studies. I'm looking forward to sharing my experience with you on this blog! Here's a little bit about me, my previous travels, and what I hope to get out of the experience in Rio. This is me, so you'll have a face to go along with the words:
I'll share many more pictures as the trip begins and progresses!
I’ve been a Fayetteville girl my whole life – born and raised – but I left to attend the University of Central Arkansas for my Undergraduate degree in 2003. I studied Spanish and English at UCA, and got my first taste of studying abroad in 2005 on a summer trip to Costa Rica. After Costa Rica I knew I hadn’t had enough of Latin America, so a group of friends and I quickly found another program for the following semester, and I ended up spending the summer of 2006 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Once I graduated, I was one more starry-eyed girl with an English degree, ready to take over the world with my Liberal Arts knowledge. So naturally, I ended up selling cell phones and t-shirts until I could escape to South America again, this time to teach English in Chile. I ended up teaching two semesters of English at a little technical college on the coast before coming back to Fayetteville to work at Tyson Foods. So far teaching in Chile has been the experience of a lifetime, but I look forward to filling my future with many experiences that will top it!
I’ve been back in Fayetteville for 2 and a half years, and I work in the IS Department at Tyson as a Training Specialist. I love being back home in Fayetteville and am having a great time working with Tyson and getting my master’s with the U of A. Although my time outside of studying and working is scarce, when I do have free moments I read, laugh, and enjoy the Arkansas seasons. If it’s nice weather, I can be found either reading alone or laughing with friends on a patio. In the cold weather I like to be curled up with a book next to a fire place. When I have lots of free time, I try to travel to South America. When I have just minutes of free time, I tend to dream of South America. Hence this trip to Brazil.
We leave in less than a week, and I did a “practice run” of packing all of my suitcases and running it up the stairs a couple times last night… my travel rule #1 is never pack a bag heavier than you can lift. J
I am thrilled to have this chance to share my experiences in Brazil on the U of A Study Abroad blog. The excitement of studying abroad for me is heightened by the location – if I could hand-pick a location to study international business issues, my first choice would be Rio de Janeiro. I can’t wait to learn more about how the American and Brazilian economic and corporate environments are related and how they work together – and how they differ. I hope that I can share with you a glimpse of how business is done differently on the international stage, and I also hope that I can convey the magic of South America that keeps drawing me back – heart, mind, and soul.
