His short Big experience abroad

Some lessons can’t be learned in a classroom.

Izaak Mendoza flew nearly 6,000 miles to Argentina and Uruguay to truly see international points of view on business.

Mendoza, a full-time MBA student who is set to graduate this spring, joined 18 classmates on a two-week program in the neighboring South American countries as part of the Marketing in the Mayhem course offered through the Carlson Global Institute.

an awesome way to think about how other cultures view advertising, marketing, and other business topics

“This was a perfect opportunity for me,” says Mendoza, who’s also pursuing a master’s in public policy from the Humphrey School. “It was an awesome way to think about how other cultures view advertising, marketing, and other business topics.”

A first-generation college student, Mendoza joined the MBA program to get these kinds of eye-opening experiences along with the strategic management skills needed to reach his career goal—being a US foreign service officer or diplomat.

As one of three Spanish speakers in the class, Mendoza at times served as translator and guide. He and his classmates explored marketing and business practices in the two neighboring countries. They visited businesses of all types and sizes, from 3M’s Argentina headquarters to small Airbnb rentals in the rural countryside. And they saw first-hand the differences in business and consumer practices across cultures.

“To put on that lens and see things from that perspective is important, whether you’re selling frozen pizzas or mass-producing adhesives like 3M,” he says.

Like every student who takes part in an international experience at the Carlson School, Mendoza learned skills he’ll carry throughout his career.

“Employers want a diversity of thoughts and perspectives,” he says. “If you are well-traveled and can speak to not only the business side of profits and losses, but also things such as regulations, trade policy, and the economics of different cultures, it makes you highly marketable in a way that stands out from the rest.”

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