Fordham Business Students Experience Other Cultures Firsthand

Originally scheduled for Feb. 10 as part of International Business Week but canceled because of a snow day, G.L.O.B.E.’s International Speed Dating event was held two weeks later, on Feb. 24 in the McGinley Center Ballroom. Though not embodying a literal interpretation of its name, the event nevertheless provided a forum for students to learn about business opportunities in numerous other countries from students who hail from those places.

Among the nations represented were China, Brazil, South Korea, Indonesia, Canada, Guinea, Romania, Lebanon and Kazakhstan. The program was organized by Bernard J. Barry, S.J., assistant dean of the College of Business Administration, advisor for international experiences and advisor to G.L.O.B.E.

One of the students participating in the event, Boubacar Barry, CBA ’10, who is from Guinea in West Africa, spoke about his Fordham experience.

“I had a friend who suggested that Fordham was one of the really good schools where you can feel a sense of community,” he said.

Barry went on to say that he chose Fordham over New York University because of the “sense of school” he felt when visiting Fordham, something that was absent at NYU. He went on to discuss Guinea’s rich, if mixed history of colonization, rich natural resources and post-colonial regimes.

Barry’s eagerness to discuss his country and explain its customs and past to Fordham students was typical of the students representing the several countries present.

Samples of national cuisines abounded, with many of the countries represented having some sort of snack to offer to interested students. Many participating students dressed in the traditional garb of their home countries, and ethnic music was employed at many countries’ stations.

The event, according to Fr. Barry, was supposed to “help Fordham students meet international students and vice versa,” and it did just that. Although there were some students who were perplexed by the event’s name and were expecting to meet potential significant others, this was not a widespread misconception, and dozens of Fordham students attended the event. These students were introduced to several geographically and culturally diverse nations, their customs and in many cases their business climate by enthusiastic, driven representatives from the Fordham community.

Among these students was Kunvar Khanna, a Canadian junior of Indian descent. Hailing from Toronto, Khanna came to Fordham from Ontario to study at the College of Business Administration because it allowed him to begin his studies in the spring semester, which is what his employer at the time, a local bank, was willing to fund.

Speaking about the business climate in his native country, Khanna said that it is very similar to the United States, and that there are essentially no major differences in doing business in the two nations. However, he emphasized the Canadian government’s regulation of business practices is rather stricter than in the United States.

“Because of this, we have not suffered very much of an economic downturn,” he said, making the case for students to explore business opportunities in Canada.