By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Lynnette Guzzino walks the walk – when she talks the talk. The Professor of International Business at Thomas More University says she, “Enjoys real world experiences, and likes bringing them back to her classroom.”
Boy, does she ever.
She is an advocate of study abroad and has taken students to London, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, assisted with a student service-learning program to Jamaica a site visit to Peru, and travelled to China with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
A Thomas More staffer for close to 20 years, she doesn’t need a classroom – she needs an airport terminal.
She shared her most recent London trip with the Covington Rotary Club this week at their Radisson Hotel luncheon meeting.
“In today’s interconnected world,” she said, “understanding global markets and cultures is crucial, especially for students pursuing careers in business. Study abroad programs provide students with an invaluable opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations inn international contexts.”
She claims these programs foster personal growth, cultural awareness, and leadership skills that cannot be learned in a textbook.
The London study was a two-week trip, she said. “It is part of the CCSA (Cooperative Center for Study Abroad) initiative, focusing on International Business.”
She claims it is a combination of history, architecture, business as well as commerce. “And they all come together,” she said. “The students actually receive a multicultural environment.”
Over the course of the program, students visit international corporations, attend presentations, and participate in workshops that bridge theory with real-world app-locations.
“My role as a faculty member,” she told the Northern Kentucky Tribune, “Is to guide the students both academically and culturally as we explore London, a global financial hub.”
Lloyds of London, The Bank of London and the Mini Cooper auto plant were some of the stops during the two-week visit. London’s rich history and diverse population provide a living laboratory for students to understand the intersection of culture and business, she said.
“Our students got first-hand exposure to global business operations and challenges,” Professor Guzzino, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and Economics from Loyola University, New Orleans, and studied abroad at the University de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, Poitiers, France. She completed a Master of International Management degree from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, Arizona, including a study abroad program to Brussels, Belgium.
She was awarded a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University College of Law School, studied in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and holds licenses to practice law in Louisiana and Kentucky.
Quite simply, she says: “Students can engage with the complex dynamics of a major global economy and see firsthand how business practices differ across countries.”
Students can receive close to a twenty-percent scholarship stipend on the trip, Prof. Guzzino notes. “The London trip was close to $5,000,” she said.
It is not all fun and games.
“Students will prepare papers as well as reports during their stay,” she says, “and they’ll attend workshops.”
Yet, she was quick to say these programs – both London and her recent trip to Nicaragua – have deeply impacted her students.
“They continue to influence the way they approach their careers and their world views. Through these experiences, students learn that the business world is interconnected, and success in this global economy requires cultural awareness, empathy, and the ability to adapt to diverse environments,” she said.
“Personally, I have seen how these experiences transform students. They leave these programs more confident, motivated, and ready to take on the challenges of a rapidly changing world.”
Wonderful article!