The College of Business Administration is offering two 10-day study abroad trips to China and Costa Rica, worth up to six hours of credit for business classes.
Any interested party may apply, as this experience is not limited to Nicholls students.
En Mao, associate professor of computer information systems, founded the trip to China in 2009 and has been affiliated ever since. She started the trip because of China’s increasing prominence in the world.
“China has surpassed Japan to become the second largest economy in the world,” Mao said.  “It is in our students’ best interests to learn more about China. Aside from gaining knowledge about culture and business, I see that most students gain an appreciation of other cultures and confidence because of the experience.” One of the students’ favorite parts of the trip is the visit to the Great Wall. Mao said that students always reflect at the end of the trip about the different activities and how much they experienced.
The price of the China trip is all-inclusive, and for under $4,500, participants can experience 10 days in three of China’s major cities: Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Beijing. This price also includes all meals, hotels, transportation, tours of major companies and six credit hours of tuition and fees.
For Jamie Hymel, a business administration senior from Norco, the trip was part of a requirement for her multinational business concentration.
“It’s required that we do a study abroad offered by the business department,” Hymel said. “I never thought that I would actually have an opportunity to go to China, so when the opportunity did present itself, I definitely wasn’t passing it up!”
For $2,750 plus the price of airfare and visa fees, students can stay in San Jose, Costa Rica, and will have the opportunity to attend a number of private and public United States and Costa Rican companies such as the Café Britt, The Butterfly Farm and Boston Scientific. There are also recreational activities. Zip-lining, horseback riding and water sports are always favorites.
Michael Chiasson, head of accounting, finance and information systems, is organizing the Costa Rica trip, scheduled for May 17-27. Mao is organizing the China trip, scheduled for May 21-31. Both trips are still open for registration.
Jordan Galjour, a marketing senior with a concentration in professional sales from Raceland, was able to experience international culture studying abroad at ESC Business School in Saint Ettiene, France last semester. He said that because of his experience and the people that he met, he was able to land internships in China and India as well.  One of his favorite parts was being so out of his element in a place where he was not fluent in the language. He recommends studying abroad to everyone because it is a chance to grow personally and socially.
Lauren Sandras, a freshman from Tuscaloosa, Ala., says she would love to go on the trip to Costa Rica in the future.
“I love adventure, and I think it would be a great experience,” Sandras said.