- For my STEP Signature Project I traveled to Lisbon, Portugal and spent 3 weeks completing a consulting project for Fundação Joana Vasconcelos, an art foundation for one of the world’s leading visual artists. Our project included conducting a benchmarking study and creating an effective merchandise strategy to enhance operations, increase revenue streams, and better engage with the target audience of the foundation.
- My view of the world was transformed by seeing how vast it is. When you hear that the Earth’s population is 8 billion, it’s simply a number that seems comprehensible. However, once I got out into the world I realized just how big that number actually is. In Portugal I encountered many people from all different walks of life. From traveling at the airport, to walking around the city, to meeting my host company, there were a lot of people that I interacted with. It was interesting to think about how many other cultures are also out there. Not only in Lisbon, but other cities all around the world are experiencing life differently than how I am. The experience put into perspective the things in my life that I am thankful for or easily take for granted by opening my eyes to the vastness of our world.
- One of the key relationships that shaped my experience was that with my host company. Joana Vasconcelos is one of the leading visual artists in the world and is very famous in Portugal. My trip involved working with the staff at her foundation to better understand their operations. During our time, we learned about the cultural norms and work expectations within the country. We also learned about Joana’s status and strategic partnership with some big name brands such as Dior. This interaction was very impactful on my experience for both positive and negative reasons. For example, my group quickly learned that at a certain level of fame, one may no longer be concerned with the “little guy” in a company. However, everyone working in the foundation was passionate about their work which was very inspiring.
A second interaction that shaped my experience was with our Resident Director, Paulo. Paulo was responsible for guiding us around the city and maintaining relations with the host companies and accommodations for all 16 students in Lisbon. Throughout our time we learned about Paulo’s life, the work that he does, and about the country. He shared with us Portugal’s history, economy, pop culture, and more. He offered advice for activities on the weekends and places to eat to ensure we experienced the culture to it’s fullest. One of our weekend activities included attending a professional soccer match. This was a unique cultural experience because it was different than attending a soccer game in the U.S., the fans took it way more serious. Overall, he contributed to making sure our stay in Lisbon was a positive one.
Third, the final interaction that contributed to this transformative experience was with the other Ohio State student’s that I traveled with. There were 16 of us in total, split into groups of 4 paired to each company. With 16 people there were lots of different personalities and life experiences to learn from. We were able to share a lot with each other after living together for 3 weeks. It was interesting to see other people experience the culture for the first time because there were things that we noticed that were unusual to us, and also times when we noticed others looking at us for acting outside of the norms. Lastly, it was unique to see us all come together for 3 weeks for the same purpose, and then go back to other parts of the U.S. to our normal lives that all look completely different.
- This change is valuable to me because it was a reminder to be compassionate toward others. This is a message I’ve heard since grade school, but you never know what life looks like in someone else’s shoes. You may think one thing, but the reality is something completely different. Especially when interacting in other cultures, what one people group may label as “weird” is actually a norm to another people group. There’s no right or wrong way to do some things, they’re just different perspectives.
