Annual Embassy Day Provides Immersive Global Opportunity for Students Without Leaving the Country

There is no need to board a plane to gain global insights from nine different countries when you are a student at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. The Center for Global Business (CGB) gathered nearly 80 students who boarded buses bound for Embassy Row in Washington, D.C., to learn about global business firsthand through the center’s annual Embassy Day.

“It’s an incredible opportunity that we can take advantage of that is right in our own backyard,” said Marina Augoustidis, CGB associate director.

The Feb. 20 event, which has taken place either in-person or virtually since 2019, gives students the opportunity to visit two embassies and learn about their country’s economic status, top industries and exports, who their trade partners are and how they do business with the U.S. Augoustidis said it also gives students insight into each country’s business culture. 

The participating countries this year were Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Ireland, the Philippines and Spain. Though the Embassy of Saudi Arabia could not participate in the day, students were invited to the Saudi Founding Day celebration at the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in Fairfax, Virginia.

Students are organized into five groups and randomly assigned to embassy pairings, so they are able to observe the differences and similarities between each country. 

“Students really learn a lot from it, and they are able to open their minds to countries that they may not be familiar with,” Augoustidis added.

This was the case for Tavreet Gill, MS in Accounting ’26. One of the embassies she visited was the Embassy of Chile, a country she realized she knew little about prior to the event. “That experience reinforced for me how powerful it is to approach new cultures with curiosity rather than bias. When you begin with a blank slate, you open yourself up to discovering an entirely new world.”

“If I ever look back and reflect on why I chose to pursue my master’s at the University of Maryland, this day will always stand out,” said Neha Tomar, MSIS ’26. “A beautiful reminder of the incredible global exposure this university has given me.”

A sentiment Gill shared and encouraged students to sign up in the future. “We are incredibly fortunate to be located so close to Washington, D.C., where opportunities like this are so accessible. Embassy Day allows you to immerse yourself in different cultures without ever leaving the country,” she said. 

Embassy Day is provided in part by CIBE, a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.