During her final year in the Part-Time MBA program, Alana Zimmer-Roethle spent two weeks in Costa Rica, studying the relationship between business and environmental management. "It was, hands down, the best experience I had in the program," she says. "A great opportunity to bond with peers and immerse myself in another culture."

The seminar she attended, Business and the Environment, is one of the global enrichment electives available to Carlson MBA students.

"I really liked how the program was structured," she says. "Typically, the day started at 8 a.m. with lectures on economics and business sustainability. Each Carlson student sat between two MBA students from Central America. After lunch, we went on field trips to plants and saw examples of how business practices can help protect the environment."

Alana really appreciated the connections she made through the study abroad program. "We all became such good friends," she says. "We did everything as a group. It's amazing what you can learn by working with people from different cultures."

After earning an MBA in marketing and healthcare in 2005, Alana moved to Houston, Texas, where she now works as a Six Sigma Black Belt for Memorial Hermann Hospitals. "I made a lot of contacts in the Houston area through the Carlson School's alumni network," she says. "It was really helpful."

«BACK