Monday, October 28, 2024
Media Contact: Hallie Hart | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | Hallie.hart@okstate.edu
When Trevor Friesen arrives for an interview with an internship recruiter or scholarship committee, he doesn’t have to guess where the conversation will lead.
The Spears School of Business junior from Edmond, Okla., lists three majors and many academic accomplishments on his resume, but one unusual item stands out as an icebreaker.
“If you don’t bring it up within the first five minutes of the interview, it’s bound to come up,” Friesen said.
Whenever he has the chance, Friesen eagerly reflects on the spring 2024 semester at Chulalongkorn University, widely regarded as Thailand’s most prestigious university. He and Austin Haddock, a master’s in accounting student, were the first OSU students to participate in the study abroad program in five years. With course topics ranging from marketing to Thai culture and government, Haddock and Friesen looked at business from a new and broader perspective.
“I just wanted to do something completely different,” Haddock said. “Some people might say it was unexpected for me.”
Austin Haddock spent a semester in Thailand, where he learned about business and enjoyed the scenery. (Courtesy of Austin Haddock)
It was a formative experience for both students. Friesen gained first-hand knowledge of international business, one of his areas of expertise along with management and marketing. Haddock decided to diversify her skills by minoring in marketing and international business before completing her bachelor’s degree in May 2024.
Entering her final semester of undergrad, Haddock sought an experience beyond the typical senior milestones. A first-generation college student from Claremore, Oklahoma, she hasn’t traveled much and didn’t leave the United States until her junior year at OSU.
After studying abroad in South Africa as a Spears Scholar Leader, Haddock wanted to extend her time abroad. Haddock participated in this experience through the Spears Business Center for Advanced Global Leadership and Engagement, which opened her eyes to more opportunities.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it after a few weeks,” Haddock said. “I still talk about it with the people I went with.”
Haddock started thinking bigger as a senior and searched the OSU Global Learning Center website for semester-long study abroad programs.
Only one Spears business student had previously studied at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, and no one from OSU had participated in the program since 2019. Friesen and Haddock said they were attracted to the opportunity to do something different. A destination she knew little about.
Although they barely knew each other before the trip, Haddock and Friesen flew to Thailand together and bonded in their hometown. In my apartment in Thailand, I stayed in an environment where the majority of students were from different nationalities, and I also made friends from Canada, Germany, Singapore, Italy, and the UK.
“We were all craving something new,” Haddock said. “We all had a similar attitude to learning and were open to new experiences. Surrounding yourself with people who pushed you to be better was a really important step for me. ”
Ms. Haddock relied on this support when she stepped out of her comfort zone to give a marketing presentation to her class. While the analytical process of accounting comes naturally to her, she had to dig deep to find her creative side.
“It really changed my thought process about a lot of things,” Haddock said. “Studying marketing and international business and doing something completely different has allowed me to see business not just from an accounting perspective, but also to understand why people do things (other than) just for economic reasons. Ta.”
As she researched new topics, she also viewed them in new contexts. In one project, Haddock and his classmates developed a plan to market Thai products to other countries, gaining a holistic view of the industry across cultures. Haddock came to understand the unique elements of Thailand’s marketing strategy, including its focus on artificial intelligence.
In some ways, there was a common thread between Spears and Chulalongkorn University. The instructor taught in English, and Mr. Friesen understood familiar topics such as Porter’s Five Forces, an analytical framework for competitive business.
The other missions were quite different from anything he had done before. In one course, Friesen visited a Buddhist temple and created a video blog about the experience. Outside of class, students learned about Thai culture by feeding elephants at a reserve in northern Thailand and meeting regularly to enjoy local cuisine.
Trevor Friesen traveled beyond Thailand whenever he had free time. Here he shows his cowboy spirit outside the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. (Courtesy of Trevor Friesen)
“We were traveling almost every weekend, getting on planes and flying hundreds of miles, taking buses and ferries to see islands and random cities,” Friesen said. “I love seeing new things.”
Haddock and Friesen, who returned to Stillwater this fall, continue to grow as Spears students. Mr. Friesen’s awards also include selection to the inaugural Tom Love Scholars Program, and Mr. Haddock received the 2024-25 Oklahoma Institute of CPA Robin Award, named after his OSU alumnus. He is a recipient of the Byford Scholarship. Mr. Haddock also completed three internships with business advisory and accounting firms before securing a full-time position as an auditor at Hogan-Taylor.
Haddock and Friesen, both rising young professionals, each have their own evaluations of their experiences at Chulalongkorn University. Haddock hopes to return to Thailand someday, but she is grateful to have been able to jump at the opportunity at university, as she doesn’t expect to spend much time traveling early in her career as an accountant. he said.
For Friesen, Thailand was just the beginning. He plans to spend the spring 2025 semester in Scotland and encourages others to study abroad, citing the financial aid offered through OSU. Spears Business offers numerous study abroad programs through the CAGLE Center and other opportunities through the OSU Center for Global Learning.
Friesen’s semester in Thailand is often talked about during interviews, but its value to him goes deeper than that. This experience emphasized the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and made him want to learn more.
“A lot of companies are international, so it’s not even a skill,” Friesen said. “It’s becoming a necessity. I’m excited to work internationally, live internationally, and potentially go to graduate school internationally. It’s been a lot of fun.”
