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three: Global Footprint
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three: GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
Studying abroad can be one of the most rewarding experiences in the career of any student. Hosting classrooms with a range of cultures enhances the experience and broadens the perspectives of all of our CUBS students.
Apart from being exposed to diverse ideas, concepts and ways of learning, CUBS offers international students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new culture and to meet different people. However, given that the pandemic limited the ability of students to socialise, or even meet with their new classmates in person, the international student experience was destined to be somewhat different last year. For Yen Hai Nguyen, given that the situation radically altered her expectations, the challenge proved psychological rather than academic.
“Before travelling to Ireland, I imagined studying abroad to be a mixture of exploring, travelling, and making new friends. But, because of COVID-19, I initially ended up in my room, alone, sitting opposite my computer. For me, maintaining my mental health was the most challenging aspect of my experience. I had to learn how to find a balance between my student and personal lives.
But, by reaching out to people, I quickly understood that any misgivings that I was having were normal, and I that I was not alone in this journey.” In spite of the challenges, Yen and her colleagues were adamant that they were going to make the best of the situation so that they could maximise the international student experience. Very quickly, bonds were formed between students from any number of different countries and backgrounds, as a sense of solidarity meandered its way along the corridors of UCC’s student accommodation complexes, warming the hearths of each individual apartment as it went. “My flatmates and I started spending more time together, which I hardly did in my previous University. Instead of going out, we tried to cook traditional food from our countries every month. We celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve with cups of hot chocolate and our favourite movies. It began to feel like a home away from home and we started to feel like family members who had been reunited in Ireland.”
That sense of community and solidarity allowed international students like Sumeet Bhattacharjee to excel academically. With ten years of professional experience under his belt, Sumeet enrolled in the MSc in Food Business and Innovation with the ambition of developing skills that would set him apart in his quest to become an international brand manager. A high performer with towering ambitions, Sumeet secured a scholarship at CUBS after impressing the faculty with his knowledge and experience. Notwithstanding his obvious talent, Sumeet could only watch on from afar as COVID-19 swept through India and his home city of Mumbai.
“It really was difficult. From my apartment in Cork, I could only watch on as case numbers in India were reaching between 350,000 and 400,000 cases per day. Although Mumbai wasn’t among the most affected cities, it really felt as if things would get worse before they got better. It was hard not to feel worried about your friends and family, particularly when the new Delta variant began to emerge. But that’s when your support network kicks in.”
Zainab Alshabeeb,
3rd Year PhD Business Informations Systems student
4043
Total Students
10%
International students
CUBS’ Students come from countries including Saudi Arabia, India and Vietnam
With the help of those around him at CUBS, Sumeet immersed himself in the programme and prepared, as best he could, for his placement at Clover Hill Foods.
As a supplier of over 600 world-class products to a range of internationally renowned clients like Backaldrin, Foricher, Norte-Eurocao and Dreidoppel, Clover Hill Foods was the perfect placement for someone with Sumeet’s aspirations. “As we all know, the world is changing, and the pace of digital transformation has increased since Covid. Having and developing the skills to respond to that will be crucial.
That’s where I want to position myself.
To succeed, I feel that I need to be able to offer companies something that is in tune with cutting edge technological developments.
As someone who wants to become a brand manager inside the next five years, developing the right knowledge and a future orientated skillset is important to me, and Clover Hill Foods allowed me to do just that.” Saudi Arabian researcher, Zainab
Alshabeeb, was another international student who had to adapt as lockdown restrictions impacted the way she studied and engaged with her peers.
A third year Ph. D researcher, Zainab was beginning the process of reaching out into the world and networking with established academics when the pandemic struck.
“I had begun the process of building an extensive professional network by attending numerous events like the
UKAIS conference, Blockchain Ireland
Week and the Women in Tech festival.
I had also gained an insight into what it’s like to work in academia by attending a number of postgraduate research
workshops and symposiums on publishing for Ph.D. students and early career academics.
Then the pandemic struck. But you have to remember that the Ph.D. process is a marathon, so it is really important to strike a balance between your work and your personal life.” Notwithstanding the limitations imposed by lockdown, as an expert in blockchain technology, Zainab soon found that her specialist knowledge and skills were being sought after by businesses attempting to undertake rapid digital transformations. I’m obviously very passionate about what I do, but for many people, blockchain technology was an unknown before the pandemic. In an instant, I could see a lot of job opportunities related to my own field of research, which was hugely encouraging as I began to take my first steps beyond CUBS.
Even though I’m at the beginning of my career, it felt as though my research became really relevant and that I was working at the interface between research and industry. That gives you the confidence to communicate blockchain technology in an accessible way, which is a soft skill that employers appreciate. Rather than have their horizons limited by the pandemic, Zainab, Sumeet and Yen refused to allow COVID-19 to curb their ambition or constrain their determination to enjoy the international student experience at CUBS. In and of itself, that is a testament to their character, and to the work of everyone at the Business School, who selflessly worked to overcome any number of unique challenges and circumstances since March 2020.
Hai Yen Nguyen
