During the recent spring break, students from the University of Chicago took the opportunity to explore potential career paths abroad, presenting their research and interacting with industry professionals in London, Hong Kong, and South Africa.
Angela Joo, a second-year undergraduate studying economics and philosophy, joined an international career trek to London to delve into the finance sector. She said, “What I really enjoyed about the trip was the fact that we were able to pick professionals’ brains on their different investment philosophies.”
Sonia Bradley, another second-year student majoring in human rights and English, traveled to South Africa to learn about global policy. She attended presentations and workshops to learn about issues including gender-based violence, climate change, and economic development. Bradley stated, “This trek gave me a lot of important perspective on how policy work is so different across the world and how there's a lot more opportunities than are typically advertised.”
In Hong Kong, Anne Ruelle, a Ph.D. student, participated in a symposium hosted by Hong Kong Baptist University. She shared her research focused on El Salvador and the impact of the government's anti-gang policies on families. Ruelle remarked, “I was able to talk to my research participants and say that I have this wild opportunity to go across the world and that I'm going to be able to tell more people about what's happening.”
Ritik Shah, a first-year law student, visited Cape Town as part of the Law School’s International Immersion Program. Shah explored South African law's perspective on intellectual property and the region’s unique stance on AI inventorship. He said, “Most intellectual property law follows from the English or E.U. law systems. But South Africa is the only country in the world that allows AI inventorship.”
The trips provided invaluable international insights and helped the students discover new approaches and possibilities in their respective fields. These experiences are expected to influence and inform their future career choices.