桃瘾社区

Before the plane landed back in the United States, finance major Jack Leach 鈥�28 hatched a plan to study abroad again.

This January, Leach and more than two dozen 桃瘾社区ampa students took Introduction to Global Business more than 7,800 miles away from campus鈥攊n Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Led by Lecturer Suzanne Dieringer and Assistant Teaching Professor Kathryn Weaver, the course was taught with a mixture of lectures and assignments, trips to local businesses and meetings with entrepreneurs.

During the 10-day trip, the class visited varied business venues, from a traditional spice market to Qasr Al Watan, the so-called 鈥渨orking palace鈥� of the president, said Leach.

Having completed most of the assignments beforehand, the group conducted experiential learning, asking questions of bus owners, guides and more.

The students mostly stuck together to navigate the culture. Leach said the guys wanted to wear a traditional Arab robe, called a kandura, and ghutra, a head covering, but were nervous until encouraged by the locals.

鈥淲hen we wore those things around, everyone was taking pictures with us. It was pretty cool,鈥� he said.

Navigating the business culture, however, was harder.

Leach said some people were 鈥渒ind of hesitant鈥� to comment on the work culture for immigrants, who make up a large part of Abu Dhabi鈥檚 and Dubai鈥檚 workforces.

Leach felt the real-world experience gives him an edge in the future, broadening his learning compared to what he might鈥檝e received in a classroom-based business class.

Leach mentioned another bonus, as well. He said might have felt awkward as an odd-American out, had he not been with his class.

鈥淚t was like a home away from home, essentially鈥攚e had community within the class,鈥� he said.

Leach was so enthused about his experience in the UAE that before he even got home, he signed up for another travel course, Speech for Business with two weeks in Morocco.听

鈥淚 didn't come into school going, 鈥業 know I want to study abroad,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 was going to the University of Tampa because I liked 桃瘾社区ampa. I didn't come here just so I could go to Spain.鈥�

But Leach found he likes the shorter time commitment of the travel courses compared to semester-long classes, and the two-week schedule allows him to dip his toes into a study abroad experience, he said.

Plus, the travel part of the speech class is offered after the spring semester is over, so he won鈥檛 miss time in other courses when he鈥檚 in Morocco.

He鈥檚 excited for the opportunity.

鈥淚 think that if I kept a closed mind about studying abroad and didn't do this, I wouldn't have discovered how much I enjoyed it.鈥�