Hey there!

My name is Emily Jenkins and I am a junior at the University of Massachusetts Lowell studying Civil Engineering with a minor in the UTEACH program. However, right now, I am currently thousands of miles away from Lowell in Hubli, India!

Through the study abroad center at UML, I was able and lucky enough to attend this years Winter 2018 program in India. On December 27, 2017, I grabbed my bags and headed for Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. It is currently December 30, 2017, and man, does that feel like years ago! So much has happened since then!

My plane took off around 4:30 PM (Boston time), and I landed in Frankfurt, Germany around 5 AM (Germany time). I then had about a 7 hour layover until we took off on the next plane and headed for Bangalore, India. We arrived in Bangalore around 2 AM (India time), and took off on our bus around 5 AM (India time). With a 7 hour bus ride and a couple of stops in between, we arrived in Hubli, at KLE University! And, after 37 hours of traveling, our journey had ended, only for the next one to begin!

With jet lag knocking on my door, we proceeded to Orientation where we met all the students we would be working and studying with. This included students from Japan, China, and India, too! Everyone is so nice, and I can tell I will be making life long friends.

I cannot even begin to explain my excitement for this trip!

P.S.- A couple of travel tips if you’re interested in going to India:

1.) Bring a comfy blanket and towel (or two).

2.) I wouldn’t bring a lot of cash in your travels, there is ATM’s in the airport and I would get your rupees from there!

Will update you, soon! -Emily 🙂

Hello Readers,

First day was a success! Having not been horizontal for nearly 40 hours and the combined stress of no regularly scheduled or balance meals I am surprised to say I feel incredible, which is entirely because of the energy of those I am surrounded by.

I have managed to greet a considerable portion of the group(~80 with volunteers), which has made a name for myself, meaning the rest of the group is introducing themselves to me (making my life that much easier). The first day of classes starts soon and I am up with one of my peers from UML getting started on the day. It feels wonderful to have had a full night’s sleep HORIZONTAL. I truly missed sleeping in my accustom position after my journey to here, Hubli, which took three flights and one bus trip.

Another notable event was the tour of the KLE Technological University Ctie space in their innovation hub. I had the opportunity to see some of the students and the space within which they are engaging in entrepreneurship and innovation on campus. The exchange group was even given a short presentation on one of the startup’s prototype for a self-guided pesticide spraying drone, the details of which were exciting.

That about wraps-up the first day. I do not expect to post every morning, but will certainly do what I can to recap all events that stick with me.

Thanks for reading!
Will

Pesticide spraying self-guided drone.

First group of students I met.

Hello Readers,

I am a senior at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell studying accounting and finance with a passion for entrepreneurship. I was first introduced to entrepreneurship during my sixth semester at the Pennsylvania State University in a seminar course in the Eberly College of Science. This course was one where notable PSU alumni would come and talk about their career path and experiences, to show us that not every path is linear. The only seminar that really stuck with me was from a well credentialed alumni who found himself being an advisor to startups with a biology/chemistry foucs. His experiences with startups ranged from successful to disastrous. The variability of experience showed me a field where one’s abilities can be fully developed and tested, which is how my passion for entrepreneurship was ignited.

I have sought out and seized opportunities, and this GEI program is certainly the one I am most excited for. To find myself in a new environment with students from China, India, and Japan working on an assignment to make something better will be a truly great experience. I am eager to see in what ways my peers and I are different and how our cultures and personal backgrounds will guide us through the work we will have.

Best,

Will

Welcome to Study Abroad- India 2018! There will be a lot of learning and playing during our 17 days in India! Make the most out of it. You will make friends, for ever, from japan, China and India. You will experience many contradictions. Take lots of pictures and share your experiences frequently. Here are a few from last year’s program

Travel and study entrepreneurship and innovation with UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business. Undergraduate and graduate students welcome.

Students will travel to Delhi, Agra (Taj Mahal), JAIPUR (Pink City) and Hubli, India with Professor Ashwin Mehta and Michael Obal to KLE Technological University to learn alongside KLE students and immerse themselves in entrepreneurial mindsets and cultural influences on decision-making.

This course is worth 3 credits and is designed to help students understand the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in today’s global economy and to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among the students in the Manning School of Business. It will cover different forms of entrepreneurship such as small businesses, growth ventures, corporate entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. The course will focus on innovation types, turning innovation into reality and the process of entrepreneurship. Innovation and entrepreneurship theories and concepts will be discussed with real life examples and cases.