Western Michigan University Students Visit India For Study Abroad Experiences

Many undergraduate and graduate students of Western Michigan University travelled to India in December for an interdisciplinary approach to study and experience-driven learning.

Around 30 undergraduate and graduate students of Western Michigan University US came to India last December for a two-week trip accompanied by business professor Dr. Timothy Palmer. Now, the university said that the lessons learned by the students during their study abroad trip to India were beyond strategic plans, budgets and markets.

The trip was organized by the WMU Study Abroad in partnership with the College of Health and Human Services, College of Education and Human Development, and the Haworth College of Business. It focused on sustainable development, justice, and social entrepreneurship. The trip also prioritized the interdisciplinary approach and experience-driven learning.

Western Michigan University Students' Experience In India

“My biggest business takeaway was seeing how passion and empathy drive success," says Hollywood Watkins, a graduate student in the School of Communications at the College of Arts and Science.

"A few presentations I attended emphasized leading with empathy and focusing on improving lives rather than just making a profit. The presenters highlighted the importance of viewing business through the lens of others' experiences, identifying real needs and creating solutions that make a life-changing difference. It challenged the traditional profit-driven mindset and showed me a whole new way of thinking about business. Now I view business as a force for meaningful impact on others' lives,” added Watkins.

Katherine Marshall, a graduate student in the School of Social Work said, "The most remarkable part was being immersed in the culture. We were able to see businesses, schools and mental health services in a way that you would not be able to do if you were an average tourist. The trip shifted the way Marshall thinks about her future and her career. As a social worker, there is a desire to help everyone and a tendency to focus on the people you cannot help. In India, they have a desire to help everyone and focus on those that they are helping.”

The topics discussed during the trip ranged from gender violence, corporate responsibility and sustainable electric systems. During this trip, the students visited the nongovernmental organizations and corporations.

"India is the fastest-growing free market economy in the world, and it is the world’s largest democracy, Palmer explains. At least 100 of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies—those ranked by Fortune magazine for highest revenue—have a presence in India. At the same time, India struggles with several environmental and social challenges that hamper its development goals, such as air pollution, poverty, hunger and women’s rights," said Palmer.

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