Elika Mowery abroad in Hamburg, Germany on the Freshman Global Lab summer 2022 program

Elika Mowery, a sophomore finance major, went abroad to Hamburg, Germany with a cohort of 30 students and saw the Berlin Wall while participating in the Freshman Global Lab summer 2022 program with the Fisher College of Business. 

This past summer, I participated in the Freshman Global Lab through the Fisher College of Business. Thanks to this program, I had the opportunity to travel in a cohort of 30 students to Hamburg, Germany, where I studied logistics and networked with international corporations. A transformational moment I had abroad was when I got to see the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall has a lot of history behind it, and seeing it with my own eyes was very surreal. I chose this program because after finishing my freshman year, I wasn’t quite ready to commit to a whole summer or an entire semester abroad, but two weeks was perfect. It was just enough time to explore the city and create new friendships. After completing this program, I learned that I would like to go abroad for longer next time.

I would absolutely encourage other students to go abroad. As someone who had never been out of the country before this program, I had no idea what I was in for. There were a lot of highs and lows (mostly highs), but the experience teaches you a lot about yourself and gives you a new perspective. The most important thing I gained from the program was confidence. I realized that if I can go to a country I’m unfamiliar with and learn to navigate it on my own, there isn’t much I can’t do.