College of Business students spend summer in London

Four Southern University College of Business students had the summer of their lives that left an impact on how they view the world.

Joseph Robins, Darla Edwards, Alexis Quiller and Nayo Andrews spent a month in London in the British Summer Study Abroad Program in a partnership with University of Southern Mississippi.

Southern is the first Historically Black College (HBCU) to participate in the program. The SU students earned six hours credit from USM and six hours of credit from Southern University.

The students prepared before heading to London with a course on the British history. Along with the USM course they were enrolled in an online course for Southern while overseas.

Dr. Carlos Thomas, chief information officer for the university, whom they described as a coach, introduced the study abroad program to them. He, too, was scheduled to be part of the traveling group, but had to remain because of job responsibilities on campus.

“Encouraging our students to engage in study abroad opportunities speaks directly to our mission,” says Dr. Donald R. Andrews, Dean of the College of Business.

The trip was not all about the classroom. The students explored London and the surrounding countries together and individually.

“This was an enlightening experience where I learned a lot about myself and I became more independent,” says Quiller, a 20-year-old junior business management major.

All four students highly recommend that students take advantage of a study abroad program and say that they would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.

The study abroad program provided the students with insight into how to function in countries. “I feel like I can do anything. And not being able to speak the language, I had to figure things out and use problem solving skills,” Robins, the 21-year-old senior accounting and finance major said.

Robins also represented SU at a Research Symposium while in London where he presented a paper on the experience of the study abroad program.

Edwards, a master of business administration student, is not new to studying abroad. She has studied in Uganda and South Africa. Visiting London, though, was a dream come true for her.

“It was an empowering experience. It was a dream I was living and walking in,” says Edwards. “To be able to stand in front of the Mona Lisa is breathtaking.”

The SU students said the countries they visited were  “slower paced” than the United States. It did not take them long to adjust and soon feel like a local. And, what they all seemed to enjoy most was the “mecca of culture” as Robins puts it.

What better time to be in London then during the summer Olympics. The students were able to experience the torch run, catch a USA Men’s basketball game against Argentina and a USA women’s volleyball game.

“My time in London has opened my eyes internationally… I want to go back and work in London,” said Andrews, 20-year-old finance major.

In the photo from left to right; Darla Edwards, Alexis Quiller, Joseph Robins, and Nayo Andrews.