2019-20

Alyssa Fiddes is a 2019 Marketing graduate currently working at Sauce Labs, a software testing company in San Francisco, as a marketing business development specialist.  She participated in the Global Fellows Program in 2018 and traveled to Kolkata, India. We had the chance to ask Alyssa about her international experience and how it has shaped her career.

Could you summarize your Global Fellows placement and project? 
In 2018, I traveled to Kolkata, India to work for an amazing organization called Destiny Reflection. Destiny Reflection works to educate, employ, and empower survivors of sex trafficking in India. My main tasks were marketing related work, my partner Andrea and I were responsible for rebranding Destiny. Throughout the several weeks in Kolkata, we created a new logo and color scheme for the organization, we completely redesigned and rewrote the website, we created a quarterly email campaign, and we enhanced social media engagement with new posts. Beyond our marketing work in the office, around 10% of our time was allocated to volunteering for various Destiny projects. Andrea and I taught English and computer skills classes for the women in Kolkata’s Red Light District and we visited a local orphanage to assist with art classes. Although I learned a lot related to my Marketing major through the rebranding project, the most meaningful work was outside the office with the women and girls.

What were your main takeaways and professional skills gained?
There were so many takeaways from this experience. I learned so much about business, culture, and global citizenship throughout the process. One of the most memorable takeaways from my several weeks in India is the importance of patience. It was something I did not expect, but I learned to take a break from my Silicon Valley “go go go” lifestyle and I adopted the more relaxed, “go with the flow, it will get done” India time mentality. The most important takeaway from my experience was learning what it means to be a Global Citizen.

Do you feel your Global Fellows experience has made you stand out as a candidate for jobs?
Yes, I believe my Global Fellows experience made me stand out as a candidate during job applications, for most of my interviews it was the very first question asked! It was always a long topic of conversation in my interviews, which made my interviews more conversational (this was good because it left less time for the challenging questions!). Interviewers were interested in learning more about such a unique global experience working abroad. Not many other applicants have international internship experience. Additionally, I believe the Global Fellows experience speaks towards the candidates character, which can help an interviewer understand more about the person’s cultural fit into a company.

Why do you recommend the Global Fellows Program to business students?  
I strongly recommend the Global Fellows program to business students, because the program allows you to put all the skills you’ve learned throughout your business classes into meaningful work. Compared to my other three internships in college, my global fellows internship was by far the most meaningful, thought provoking, and challenging. As many of the Global Fellows placements are small organizations, students are given the opportunity to have a real voice and make tangible changes to the company (something I did not find in my other internships). 

How did Global Fellows better your understanding of international business?
Global Fellows helped my understanding of international business in so many ways. Beyond learning about the different cultural workplace norms in India, I learned about how an organization can work across borders, which prepared me for my first job out of college.

How did Global Fellows impact your career path?
The Global Fellows program encouraged me to apply for the Fulbright Scholar program to be an English Teaching Assistant. Although I was not selected as a Fulbright for 2020, the program will always hold a special place in my heart that is calling me back to the developing world in the future. My experience with Global Fellows drove my post college job search by encouraging me to look for an entry level job where I felt I would make a real difference in the company. After working at Destiny and doing so much for the organization that I could see tangible results, I knew I did not want to settle for an entry level job where my work was not meaningful to the company.

Everyone has a different experience, as each placement and cohort is unique, so I can’t speak on behalf of everyone, but I had an incredible experience in Global Fellows. I learned more than I could have imagined and I wish so badly that I could go through the experience again.