What's it like to study at the world’s number one programme for international trade?

Every semester Thunderbird celebrates Regional Night. Each semester a different region hosts the event and it is a time where we share food and culture among Tbirds (that’s how we call ourselves when we are part of the Thunderbird community). My most memorable Regional Night was the Latin American one in Spring of 2021. The Latin American Business Club and the Global Moves student organisation were in charge of arranging several performances. As the president of the Global Moves and proud Peruvian, I organized a traditional dance performance from the Peruvian Andes called “Valicha”. Our group was made up of classmates from India, China, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and other nationalities. Together, we choreographed the dance, practised after classes and performed with great success! Thunderbird’s brand-new building enhanced this experience because we were able to share our performance around the world via the big screens in the state-of-the art Global Forum.

There are many valuable things I experienced at Thunderbird. It’s hard to choose between the student organisation’s events, learning from amazing faculty, the new high-tech building, and the Global Challenge Lab (GCL). For my GCL project, I was chosen to participate in the development of a British hospitality firm’s global expansion. The UK-based firm called Crepeaffaire has more than 30 restaurants and is owned by a Tbird Alum. My team and I travelled to London for three weeks and visited several Crepeaffaire restaurants across the UK to analyse their product and market. With the guidance of our France-based Thunderbird Professor we were able to provide a comprehensive expansion project with application to the real world to the company with great success.

Thunderbird is an experience. I got to connect with Alumni scattered across the world who had the same international mindset that I have. The Alumni network is very supportive, and you can find Tbirds everywhere. Alumni that I have encountered through my internship at Honeywell and at my first full-time role as a Leadership Development Program Associate at RTX have been critical with my adjustment to the company.

I feel proud of all the accomplishments the school has made and it definitely deserves being the No.1 program for International Trade. At Thunderbird we don’t have to work too hard to have an international mindset, we have something called the Thunderbird Mystique, that is something we can’t explain but we all have it within us. You feel the “internationality” as soon as you step into the building. Our professors come from the most diverse backgrounds and nationalities. Our new building was designed to mix the most impressive technology with curated art from all over the world. We have four ethnic lounges that lead to our rooftop pub, where students gather after class.  Alumni often travel internationally to meet with students at the pub for First Tuesdays, a special event that takes place once a month.

100%! Not only for the quality of classes, but for the international exposure you get to experience outside of class. Being at Thunderbird feels like home outside of home. It’s great to be part of the Thunderbird community and have the opportunity to connect with chapters all over the states and around the world, even after graduation. Thunderbird is so diverse that hearing different languages in the hallways will become common to you, as well as creating long lasting international friendships.