When Elke Neumann, Julia Gralka and Carina Hohenadel graduated from Brock\u2019s Goodman School of Business Thursday, June 16, no one could fault the double degree students for returning to their native Germany and getting on with their careers and lives.<\/p>\n
They successfully completed their studies in the program that consists of two years at Brock and two years at a partner university in the International Partnership of Business Schools (IPBS) network. For most graduates, there wouldn\u2019t be much else to do except take their next steps.<\/p>\n
But the trio, who are the first students from double degree partner Reutlingen University ESB Business School to graduate from Brock, have a vested interest in the happenings here. They didn\u2019t just come for degrees. They came for the chance to meet fellow students and future colleagues.<\/p>\n
To facilitate that, Neumann, Gralka and Hohenadel took on the heavy lifting of creating an official club \u2014 the Goodman IPBS Club \u2014 initially to help fellow double degree students connect with each other. But their mandate grew to support all Goodman students interested in living and studying abroad through any IPBS exchange and networking opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis helped Canadian and international students become aware of each other,\u201d Neumann says. \u201cIt was nice to see other faces and get to know them.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was no easy feat at a time when social distancing was emphasized as a means of staying safe during the pandemic. Then again, meeting people isn\u2019t exactly low-hanging fruit at the best of times when you move 6,000 kilometres from home to study.<\/p>\n
When Neumann, Gralka and Hohenadel enrolled in the double degree program at Reutlingen University four years ago, the world was in that nostalgic state of normal. The three friends chose Canada as the place to spend their final two years of the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt North America would give me the opportunities other students wouldn\u2019t have,\u201d Gralka says. \u201cA lot of students in Europe study in other European countries. But North America offered a different perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their ETA was September 2020, but with the advent of the pandemic six months earlier and all the travel bans that were imposed, the trio wouldn\u2019t arrive until November that year \u2014 not that the world was in a better state.<\/p>\n
Ontario was on the verge of another lockdown and Goodman students were largely studying virtually at the time. Neumann, Gralka and Hohenadel arrived to a situation that made it nearly impossible to get to know fellow students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose first few months, we concentrated on university only,\u201d Hohenadel recalls. \u201cI found it difficult to meet anyone. We didn\u2019t know anyone here or have contact with students in the years above us. It was hard to connect and interact.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was challenging meeting their Canadian colleagues, many of whom had already formed their circle of friends in their first year or two of study.<\/p>\n
The Goodman IPBS Club was their solution to finally create a social network of their own. It would give the chance for students from overseas or about to head to their partner school to meet; learn about the traditions and cultures of their host country; and hear from program alumni about life after graduation.<\/p>\n
The experience, in many ways, gave them a taste of running a business. They got to choose the club executive \u2014 a mix of Canadian and international students \u2014 which included a social media co-ordinator and event organizer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got close with these people as we met with them the most,\u201d Neumann says.<\/p>\n
The Goodman IPBS Club has held three networking events since its inception less than a year ago, including a virtual trivia and pub night, and a guest speaker, alumni Andre Chabot, who shared his experience studying as a double degree student in Germany.<\/p>\n
The trio plan to stay in touch with their successors in the club to help keep it going without them \u2014 Neumann and Hohenadel plan to return to Germany while Gralka intends to spend more time in Canada after graduation \u2014 and help it become all they envisioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope the club will be of great support to all GSB students interested in international exchange and looking to make new friends,\u201d Gralka says.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a sense of accomplishment when they consider all the work they put in to not just graduate with two degrees but leave a Reutlingen legacy at the Goodman School of Business.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing through the process and seeing the result, we can be proud of ourselves, especially going through our last year and all our courses, and writing our final-year research paper,\u201d Hohenadel says. \u201cIt\u2019s not something we leave behind. We can build on it and if we want to build another club in the future, we know what to do. And who knows? Maybe we\u2019ll be invited to speak about our experience with club members one day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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