Companies in NYC Host Virtual Visits with Maryland Smith International Business Students

The Center for Global Business at Maryland Smith sponsored fifteen students to participate in the International Business (IB) Trek of Smith in the City on Thursday, November 5 and Friday, November 6, 2020. Hosted and organized by Maryland Smith Undergraduate Student Association and the Office of Career Services, this year’s Smith in the City event was held virtually for Maryland Smith undergraduate students to network with alumni and meet with companies in New York City to learn about business practices in various sectors. The center’s main goal of supporting the IB Trek was to expose students to companies that do business across borders and to encourage them to follow international career paths.

The students participated in a virtual alumni networking panel and reception on day one and met with three companies — J.P. Morgan Chase, Snapchat, and Morgan Stanley — on day two. Representatives from each organization discussed different arms of the company and offered a different perspective in how students could follow a path in international business.

The first meeting took place with J.P. Morgan Chase during which students heard from Maryland alumni about the importance of understanding that the financial ecosystem is dependent on the global network and for that reason, international business is part and parcel to everyone's job there. Maryland alumni representing Snapchat discussed what it takes to work at a company such as Snapchat and how you can prove yourself in a competitive industry, such as the tech industry. Additionally, representatives discussed their international expansion efforts and what an international position at Snapchat might look like. IB students joined the finance track for their third meeting with Maryland alumni at Morgan Stanley to discuss institutional investing and the development of quantitative tools in finance.

During each of the visits, students heard from recruiters about interviewing tips, how they can take direct steps for an opportunity at each company, and how international business applies to each environment. Luke Amato, IB Trek leader and double major in finance and computer science, shared his thoughts about the Smith in the City experience. “One of my main goals for the track was to shatter the narrow conception of international business. International business students do not have to go work in a specifically designed international business role. In fact, most do not. Visiting J.P. Morgan Chase, Snapchat, and Morgan Stanley showed that international business skills are relevant across industries and management levels."

To hear more from Maryland Smith alumni who are working in global business roles, join CGB during International Education Week for the annual Distinguished Speakers in International Business Series event, Global Competencies for the 21st Century Workplace, on Thursday, November 19 at 6 p.m.

This event was supported in part by a Title VI grant program known as CIBE (Centers for International Business Education) administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

- By Marina Augoustidis, associate director, Center for Global Business