A Global Perspective

Student scholarship: Opportunity to study abroad opened doors and made Andrea Xiong a better student

By Siri Pairin

Photo by Paul L. Newby II

Andrea Xiong’s study abroad experience helped expand her world view and prepare her for the workplace.

Andrea Xiong (BBA ’20) didn’t enjoy learning Spanish at first. In fact, she found her middle and high school Spanish classes to be particularly challenging. Now, however, Xiong’s Spanish language abilities are among her most defining characteristics.

She spent the Spring 2018 semester studying abroad in Seville, Spain. While there, Xiong lived with a local host mother and went on organized day trips to other cities. She even took business classes like finance and operations technology management in Spanish. Xiong says the experience fully immersed her in Spanish culture.

Xiong, who grew up in the Twin Cities area, always wanted to travel abroad but never had the opportunity until coming to the Wisconsin School of Business and receiving the James C. Hickman Study Abroad Scholarship.

Andrea Xiong with two other women in Seville, Spain

While studying in Seville, Spain, Andrea Xiong (center) immersed herself in new cultural experiences like the Feria de Abril, an annual fair where women wear flamenco dresses and people enjoy food, music, and traditional Sevillana dance.

“I learned a lot about how to adapt and how to be okay with chaos,” she says, recalling a time during her travels when her flight was unexpectedly canceled at the last minute. “It was a lot of accepting what was happening and then adapting to think of different solutions to overcome the problem.

“I have found the experience and the skills I learned from it to be useful even now—whether in school or the workplace—to just accept when something goes wrong and be able to move forward.”

As a marketing major, Xiong aspires to work in marketing after graduation and hopes to be able to use her Spanish language skills and cultural knowledge, which she sees as vital to both her career and the future of the business world.

I have found the experience and the skills I learned while studying abroad to be useful even now—whether in school or the workplace—to just accept when something goes wrong and be able to move forward.”

— Andrea Xiong,
(BBA ’20)

Study abroad, she says, gave her an invaluable chance to hone these skills while broadening her perspective and viewpoints.

“Global experiences are very important because every one of us is so little compared to the whole,” she says. “Seeing something from a totally different point of view, a different aspect, really opens our minds.

“Receiving the scholarship to study abroad meant opening doors for me and allowing me to be the best student I can be,” she says. “Scholarships are really a motivation for me to continue what I'm doing and hopefully, eventually, give back to this community.”