CIBS Ambassador Program
Program Overview
CIBS Ambassadors utilize their global experience to:
- Assist CIBS in its globalizing mission by sharing their global experiences with current and prospective business students through formal programs, informal settings, and weekly CIBS office hours
- Enrich Mays Business School’s students’ cultural awareness and global acumen
- Recruit Mays students for the various programs provided by CIBS and Texas A&M University
CIBS Ambassador Program Applications
Want to share your global experiences and encourage Mays students to take their education abroad? Apply now to the CIBS Ambassador Program for the 2023 – 2024 academic year! Learn more about the CIBS Ambassador Program by reading the CIBS Ambassador Program Overview.
CIBS Ambassador applications are due Friday, March 10 at tx.ag/CIBSambassadorapp. Signing in to your TAMU Office 365 account using your NetID is required to access the application.
Peer Advising
Want to know more about taking your education abroad? Visit our ambassadors for peer advising during spring 2023 semester during drop-in hours HERE.
Spring 2023 Ambassadors
The following students were selected to serve as CIBS Ambassadors for the Spring 2023 semester:
Abby Bennett ’23 | Marketing
- Winter Faculty-led (Costa Rica)
- Summer Faculty-led (Spain)
Howdy! My name is Abby Bennett and I am a junior MKTG major from Kingwood, Texas. Ever since I could comprehend what college was and found out that there were opportunities to study abroad, I felt drawn to it. I grew up speaking Spanish in school and my passion for learning more about the culture has grown from that. I have been on the Costa Rica winter faculty-led trip and am going on the Spain Business trip this summer! By studying abroad, I have become more knowledgeable of the ins and outs of the business world on an international level. I have become more culturally aware and appreciate the differences and similarities of these countries and businesses around the world. In Costa Rica we lived with a homestay for the two weeks we were there. This ended up being my favorite part of the trip; ultimately, I learned so much more about the culture and got to practice a lot of Spanish. CIBS and studying abroad will give you experiences that nothing else can!
Meet with Abby during her office hours on Mondays at 10 AM – 12 AM!
Rachel Braden ’23 | Supply Chain Management
- Winter Student Group – Virtual (Panama)
- Spring Semester Exchange (France)
Howdy! My name is Rachel Braden, and I am a senior Supply Chain Management major from Kingwood, Texas. Starting college, I knew I wanted to study abroad to immerse myself in another culture and experience living somewhere outside the US. I started looking at study abroad programs early and had the incredible opportunity to participate in Global Business Brigades in January of my sophomore year and I got to study in Strasbourg, France in the spring semester of my junior year. Global Business Brigades happened during COVID the year I did it, however, we still had the opportunity to help local business owners in Panama via Zoom. This was a great experience where I got to work with a team to help a small business owner and learn a little bit about the culture in Panama. During my semester abroad, I had the chance to meet and work with people from all over the world and I also had the opportunity to travel all over Europe. This exchange really encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and expand my global mindset. I was able to learn a lot about myself and other cultures that I will take with me throughout my college career and my life. I received a lot of help from CIBS Ambassadors when I was preparing to do my semester exchange and I look forward to helping others who want to take their education abroad!
Meet with Rachel during her office hours on Tuesdays at 2 PM – 4 PM!
Nikhila Bulusu ’23 | Marketing
- Spring Semester Exchange (Spain)
Howdy! My name is Nikhila Bulusu and I’m a senior Marketing major from Flower Mound, TX. I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Madrid, Spain this past spring semester. It was an incredible experience filled with lot’s of traveling, food, friends, and school of course. I had always known that I wanted to study abroad from the beginning of high school because I wanted to be immersed in a new culture and have the ability to easily travel between countries. This semester exchange was the perfect fit for me because I had a full 5 months to do everything I wanted! I highly recommend looking into the different experiences that CIBS offers because there are so many options out there and it’s likely that one of them is the right fit for you. Feel free to come into the office and chat with me about any questions or thoughts that you have! 🙂
Meet with Nikhila during her office hours on Wednesdays at 10 AM – 12 PM!
Candace Hoang ’24 | Marketing
- Summer Faculty-led (Belgium & Croatia)
Howdy! My name is Candace Hoang and I am a junior Marketing major from Houston, Texas. Since a young age, I have loved to travel and knew I wanted to study abroad when I went to college. This past summer, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a faculty-led study abroad in Croatia and Belgium for a month! While abroad, I went out of my comfort zone many times and immersed myself in another culture that soon felt like home after spending a few weeks there. As well as doing school, I also had the opportunity to travel to multiple countries, try new foods, and go on many adventures that I will cherish forever. I am so thankful for the irreplaceable memories and long-lasting friendships I made while abroad! Studying abroad has opened my eyes and shown me there is so much out there for me including opportunities, people, and places to go. I am wanting to attain my Certificate in International Business and will be studying abroad again! Woohoo! I am so excited to meet you all and help out with any questions you have!
Meet with Candace during her office hours on Thursdays at 10 AM – 12 PM!
Eric Hu ’25 | Accounting
- Spring Field Trip (Singapore)
- Spring Field Trip (Japan) – expected
Howdy! My name is Eric Hu and I am a sophomore Business major from Houston, Texas. Growing up I’ve always enjoyed traveling, either with my family or with school, and learning more about different cultures. This past spring, I had the opportunity to go on a field trip to Singapore where I was able to try food from around the world, immerse myself in a mix of cultures, and learn more about why Singapore is an Asian Tiger by interacting with some of the companies there. Studying abroad not only expanded my knowledge of what international business is, but also encouraged me to relearn Chinese again and work in the travel industry in the future. Although the pandemic resulted in my original destination and flight being canceled, I am incredibly thankful to the staff at CIBS who ensured that we would still be able to travel safely and participate in the trip. If you have any questions or interests and want to learn more about what it’s like to study abroad, feel free to stop by!
Meet with Eric during his office hours on Wednesdays at 12 PM – 2 PM!
Sam Koeijmans ’23 | Finance
- Spring Semester Exchange (Austria)
- Summer Faculty-led (France) – expected
Howdy! My name is Sam Koeijmans and I am a senior Finance Major from Dallas, Texas. My dad was the one who really pushed me to study abroad and convinced me to take the leap so in the Spring of 2022 I did a semester exchange in Innsbruck, Austria. There I was able to ski, travel, and make a lot of new friends with people from all around the world. I now have a friend to stay with in just about every European country. By studying abroad I was able to really expand my knowledge of what business is to a global scale. I am so thankful for my time abroad and think it was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. If you ever have any questions or interest stop by and talk to one of us. Take the leap!
Meet with Sam during his office hours on Tuesdays at 12 PM – 2 PM!
Ben Longoria ’25 | Business Honors/Management
- Spring Break Field Trip (Portugal)
- Summer Faculty-led (Germany) – expected
Howdy! My name is Ben Longoria, and I am a sophomore Accounting major from Brownsville, Texas! I have had an affinity for understanding different cultures throughout my high school career and coming into college I knew my one goal was to study abroad. This past spring break, I was fortunate enough to go on the Regents’ Portugal Field Trip which took over 30 first-generation college students abroad. Going on this trip was a dream come true as not only was I studying abroad as a freshman from a low-income area, but I also got to enjoy the experience with my closest friends who I had met through the RAP program. Being able to be a part of a collaboration between the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the CIBS office was truly unique and I am so glad it was my first international experience! I am so excited to get to help and hear all the amazing stories that come through the office at Mays, so please stop by!
Meet with Ben during his office hours on Mondays at 12 PM – 2 PM!
Zach Schwertner ’23 | Management Information Systems
- Fall Semester Exchange (Austria)
Howdy! My name is Zachary Schwertner and I am a senior Management Information Systems major from Georgetown, Texas. Ever since I traveled abroad for the first time in 2017 I had to urge to go back. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to participate in a semester exchange and go to Vienna, Austria. I learned so much in the four and a half months I was there. From taking classes at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) to hopping on trains across Europe, the time I spent abroad was filled with unforgettable experiences. Looking back, it was crazy to me how easy and smooth everything went from the application process with CIBS to being enrolled in a different university! If you want to hear about my experience participating in a semester exchange program or if you have any other questions, come by!
Meet with Zach during his office hours on Tuesdays at 10 AM – 12 PM!
Ji-Min Song ’23 | Accounting
- Winter Faculty-led (Portugal)
- Winter Faculty-led (Singapore)
Howdy! My name is Ji-Min Song and I am a senior Accounting major from Seoul, South Korea! I have always loved traveling and getting to experience different cultures. I knew coming into college studying abroad is something that I wanted to do. Just recently I had the opportunity to go on a winter faculty-led program to Portugal and I learned the value of learning through experience. In just two weeks I feel that I gained so much knowledge that I wouldn’t have been able to learn at home. At first, I was skeptical about going while we are in a pandemic but I am glad that everyone involved made sure that I was still able to participate just like anyone else and come back safely! It is still crazy to me that I was able to go and afford it as a first-generation college student coming from a low-income household, but thanks to CIBS they made the whole process seem like a piece of cake! I am so excited for my time as an ambassador to use what I learned to help other students have a rewarding experience abroad!
Meet with Ji-Min during her office hours on Mondays at 2 PM – 4 PM!
Kevin Szpak ’23 | Marketing
- Summer Faculty-led (Spain)
Howdy! My name is Kevin Szpak, and I am a senior Marketing Major from Keller, Texas. This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to spend a month studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain with a fantastic group of Aggies. I have traveled internationally with my family quite a few times, but this was my first time crossing the Atlantic into Europe. It is a goal of mine to eventually work abroad one day, and studying abroad was the perfect first step to achieving that goal in the future. Covid-19, unfortunately, put a pause on international travel for A&M students for some time and I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to make it abroad during my time as a student, but I am incredibly grateful for all the hard work that CIBS put into making these opportunities safe and available once again. My time in Barcelona was filled with so many learning experiences, and I gained so much both personally and professionally. I would encourage all Aggies to look into an experience abroad.
Meet with Kevin during his office hours on Wednesdays at 2 PM – 4 PM!