Over spring break, Carson students traveled to Panama as part of a new faculty-led program designed to offer an accessible international learning experience to business students across the WSU system.
Participants visited the Panama Canal, met with industry insiders at DHL, Dell, the American Chamber of Commerce Panama, Global Bank, and participated in a service-learning project with the Emberá, an Indigenous group native to Panama and Colombia. Organizers say the experience was an invaluable opportunity for students to gain a first-hand perspective on the logistics of global trade at one of the world’s most critical trade routes.
“It appeals to a broad spectrum of majors but is under the international business focus. We were able to see things that have important cultural relevance, both to the US and to Latin America, like the Panama Canal,” says Ethan Pickering, International Business Institute coordinator who helped organize the trip. “I wanted students to have exposure to that, to see a little bit how these practices that they’ve been learning about in class apply on a global scale.”
An accessible opportunity for students
Pickering says Panama is an ideal setting for a study abroad program because it is a vibrant economic hub where English is widely spoken, and it’s relatively close to Washington state, helping to reduce cost and travel time.
“It met everything I was looking for in a study abroad trip,” says Liam Dunn (’26 Finance, Mgmt. Info. Sys.). “It offered a balance of education, cultural immersion, and fun experiences that would allow me to explore and learn in a meaningful way while enjoying my spring break.”
Part of the genesis of the program is to create study abroad opportunities that are accessible to a wider range of students, Pickering says. Because of cost and travel schedules that often stretch to six weeks or more, Pickering says students sometimes find study abroad to be difficult to access.
Many have family obligations or internships that make longer programs less feasible.
Pickering says this need led to the creation of multiple new, more accessible study abroad opportunities, including a nine-day experience in Ireland and a month-long program to China.
Faculty-led study abroad creates lasting impact
The benefits from participating in study abroad opportunities are extensive, Pickering says, highlighting the need to make these experiences accessible to all students. He says faculty-led trips in particular promote student learning and faculty engagement, making the educational experience more personal and impactful.
“There’s much more of a personal connection, and you’re spending a lot more time with a professor one-on-one,” Pickering says. “The professors get a lot more out of it too and are more likely to see the effects of their teaching than with a large group.”
Jenni Sandstrom, Carson College academic director at WSU Vancouver, led the inaugural group of 16 students. Pickering says her background in private industry and experience leading numerous study abroad groups made her an ideal choice to guide students for this first outing.
Sandstrom says the service-learning project in particular allows students to build empathy, self-awareness, and a sense of purpose by contributing to a cause that goes beyond academics.
“Study abroad programs give students a curated opportunity to travel with a program that connects to their academic program back home,” Sandstrom says. “Students increase their global perspective, immerse themselves in another culture, improve their language skills, and challenge themselves to navigate daily life in a new, unfamiliar place.”