Oct. 11, 2016
It’s often the case that the lasting impression of an international internship is the food. And in nearly every nation, the food is an integral part of the culture. It’s the first thing that comes to mind for Grant Emory, who spent his summer in Lima, Peru. He gets a little animated when he describes the “unbelievable” food culture, which includes foods like Parihuela — a Peruvian seafood soup made up of half a crab, scallops and mushrooms, among other things.
But Emory quickly pivots to the real feast: firsthand experience in international digital marketing with ROInet SAC through the Darla Moore School of Business’ International MBA program. The marketing and Spanish student decided to join the International MBA program because he developed a passion for international travel and culture through studying abroad in his undergrad years.
“It was just logical after working a couple years in the advertising industry to go back to grad school and really ingrain more international experience into my career path,” he said.
Since arriving in Lima, a family friend has been showing Emory the best places to go to discover what local culture is like. He’s been going to popular local restaurants and visiting local hot spots to see how the people live and what their interests are — it’s an essential part of the cultural immersion and unique skills in tapping into local business cultures that Moore School International MBA students learn through the program.
“Immersing myself in Latin America, and in Peru in particular, will really help further my career from a marketing and business developer’s perspective,” he said.
He had the opportunity to work in the hotel and tourism industry through a client when he worked for BKV, a marketing agency in Atlanta. Since then, hotel and tourism management has been a passion of his because of the opportunity it offers to work directly with customers and serve their needs.
ROInet SAC is a 60-person company in a rapidly growing area, which gives Emory the opportunity for a leadership role — something he was looking for when deciding on an internship.
“It’s being in that boots-on-the-ground role that helps you to really understand how the culture has implications on the business,” he said.
His dream job is working in business development or strategic marketing for a large, multinational organization to help them expand their business internationally, ideally somewhere in Latin America. Further down his career path, he can see himself doing work in business consulting.
By Madeleine Vath