GDI Student – Republic of Korea Company, Class of Fall 2020 (Medical Devices)
One of the most formative experiences I had in college was working as a part of the Global Development Initiative. GDI is a program where students conduct market research on foreign small and medium enterprises looking to expand their businesses in Texas. I first came across the program in my freshman year and was immediately intrigued by the chance to interact with clients from around the world. However, I was equally frightened by the prospect of creating and delivering presentations to business leaders, many of whom were C-suite executives with decades of experience operating in the upper echelons of the corporate world.
Thankfully, the supervisors at GDI knew better than to simply “throw us to the wolves” and allow us to fend for ourselves. Rather, they made sure we were extremely well-prepared. We had weekly sessions where we learned important skills such as creating visually appealing presentations, consolidating relevant financial information, and conducting productive meetings. By the time we split off into groups and were assigned our clients, we were more than ready to tackle whatever challenges came our way.
My team and I were paired with a company based out of East Asia, which specialized in the neurorehabilitation space. We had weekly meetings with its Board of Directors where we would discuss barriers to entry and would then do extensive research to determine how we could assist our clients in their expansion. From conducting competitive analysis (SWOT) to market segmentation, the work we did on behalf of our clients was exhilarating. In addition, getting to learn about their culture, and teaching them about ours, was very rewarding.
As I began my full-time job search, I realized just how transferable the skills I gained from the program were. I’ve talked a lot about the work I did in my job interviews, and it has always been a point of interest for managers and recruiters. I have leveraged the experience I’ve gained from GDI to receive and accept a client-facing role this summer from Palo Alto Networks, the largest cybersecurity company in the world. I have also gotten full-time offers from companies including Ernst and Young, IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and Dell EMC.
My time as a Global Strategy Consultant instilled a great amount of confidence in myself and taught me many valuable concepts. I enjoyed working with my fellow interns, and regularly meeting with foreign clients was an eye-opening experience. But above all, I want to thank our mentors. They were intelligent, and patient, and their passion for the work that we were doing was contagious. I always felt comfortable approaching them and greatly benefited from the wealth of knowledge each of them had.
Regardless of school year or major, The Global Development Initiative is a top-notch program for any student. The opportunities provided are intellectually stimulating, the clients are friendly, the students are exceptional, and the advisors are of the highest quality. I loved my time working with the GDI Program and would highly recommend the program to anybody interested in gaining exposure to the world of Global Business.
