Dani Evans, fashion and merchandising major and marketing minor, knows what it means to be a global student. A senior from St. Louis graduating in May, she studied away and completed most of her marketing classes in Reading, England, which she believes gives her a unique perspective.
While in Reading, 25 minutes west of London, Dani went to school four days a week and traveled on the weekends. The classes were different than at Missouri State. Instead of having many projects and lots of group work, the classes were more lecture-based, a common difference U. S. students find studying away in Europe. Dani chose to study in England because her dad is British and she has family there.
Dani travelled every weekend while studying abroad. Her favorite place she visited was Interlaken, Sweden. Situated between two lakes, the view was “absolutely stunning” and colorful in the winter. Other top contenders were Venice, Rome, and Prague.
One of Dani’s most memorable incidents was when traveling to Vienna. She and her fiancé found out that it is customary in Vienna to confirm a stay and let the owner know when you are arriving 48 hours in advance. Unfortunately, they didn’t learn this until after arriving! Therefore, they wandered around a “sketchy” area when they arrived in the early morning, before finally waking the owner and getting into their room. As Dani, and most students who have studied away will tell you, the best part about studying abroad is the learning done outside of the classroom!
After coming home, Dani was hired as a global ambassador for the Study Away Office on Missouri State’s campus. She applies her marketing knowledge by managing their social media, a position she got when she mentioned her minor. As a global ambassador, she also markets her study away experience to students who are either thinking about or committed to going abroad for studies.
In addition to international experience, Dani has acquired some business experience too. She worked in St. Louis in an internship for the Women’s Closet Exchange, a designer clothing resale shop. She managed their social media and set up other analytical software for them, expanding her marketing background and skills. She especially enjoyed the small-business feel of the store, but she thinks she could work somewhere bigger (her dream job being a buyer for Nordstrom). “It was really nice to work for a small business. Do I really want to go corporate—where you have to put the shoe this [specific] way? There are positive and negatives to both,” she said when asked where she saw herself in the future.
Dani looks forward to graduating and starting a new chapter in her life. With the edge of studying away and experience with marketing for a business and organization, Dani hopes to be able to follow her passion as she moves to Tulsa, Oklahoma with her fiancé next spring!