While much of the world is focusing its attention on World Cup 2014 in Brazil, a group of international students and professionals have come to the 每日大赛 to immerse themselves in an American educational experience. Through classroom study, lectures, discussions and site visits, the visitors from South and Central America are spending three weeks learning about this country\u2019s business, management, public administration and culture.<\/p>\n
In all, 209 men and women from Brazil, Argentina, Guatemala and other countries are taking part in the College of Business and Public Management\u2019s (CBPM) annual Executive Management Certificate Program. Experienced La Verne faculty are providing instruction and leading discussions covering an array of subjects.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Summer Certificate Program gives international students and professionals the opportunity to experience the American educational system, American culture, and how business or public administration works in the U.S.,\u201d says Dr. Abe Helou, CBPM dean and creator of the program. \u201cMy favorite part of the program is most students say it has been a life-changing event that exposes them to things they never imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attendees are given an overview of best business practices and commerce activities through a series of guest lectures and site visits. Learning from working business professionals and seeing firsthand operations such as Domino\u2019s Pizza, Citizens Business Bank Arena and Ford of Upland, the visitors can compare and contrast what they see here to how things work in their home countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have similar problems with government and taxes,\u201d says Florencia Montilla, who attends a public university in San Rafael, Argentina. \u201cI\u2019m amazed; it\u2019s no different. We have the same problems, just at a different scale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many of the attendees have specific areas of interest. Melanie Lavastrou, another who came from San Rafael to study at La Verne, wants to learn more about human resources and leadership. She wants to be able to take the information back to the business where she works.
\n\u201cCompared to my company, HR has much bigger (offices) here. They\u2019re much more organized. I could see a lot of things,\u201d Lavastrou says. \u201cA representative came here and I could ask her about her company.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Richard Simpson is a very good professor. We are working with a lot of cases and situations,\u201d she adds. \u201cI am learning a lot from my teachers and my partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
Classes and lectures are just part of the overall experience visitors seek from the program. Many want to use the opportunity to improve their English skills and expand their vocabulary \u2013 both business-related and overall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like it a lot because I have a chance to improve my English. It\u2019s not just the language; I am learning specific terms,\u201d says Gisele Menezes Santos Fraga, a college student from S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil. \u201cSome of the things I study (in Brazil) we\u2019ve discussed here, but they have put them in a different way (from) a different point of view. That is good for me as a professional.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Fraga, like many of the attendees, this is her first visit to the U.S. Getting to experience the country\u2019s culture and how an American university differs from those in their home nations.<\/p>\n
As for missing out on the Word Cup, many of the attendees confided missing out on the quadrennial soccer championship and the clamor that surrounds it has been a fair trade for what they have gained in coming to La Verne.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone here in California say to me \u2018Oh, you are from Brazil. What are you doing here?\u2019\u201d says Fraga. \u201cI feel it is a good choice to be here because I have the opportunity to improve my English, my vocabulary, and my knowledge about different business areas. It\u2019s a good choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program continues through July 16, with afternoon and evening graduation ceremonies set for July 17 at the Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A group of international students and professionals have come to the 每日大赛 to immerse themselves in an American educational experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1549],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-events","ulv_author-alisha-rosas","ulv_author-university-of-la-verne"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n