Student Spotlight: Emily Bombardi
Last fall, the Master of International Business (MIB) program launched its online program. The first group of students from the Online MIB program are graduating this summer. Emily Bombardi is one such student. Read on as she shares about her experience in the Online MIB program.
Q: Please tell is about your background and what led you to do the Online MIB program.
Bombardi: “I help international companies expand into international markets. Being fluently trilingual (English, Portuguese and Spanish), and having high cultural competency, working in global roles has been at the epicenter of my career focus. Currently, I manage Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada for a software company in the payments space. My experience has led me to work in the tech space, higher education and with international ad campaigns for multiple industries. The Online MIB program was a perfect fit for me as the curriculum encompassed the deeper global business knowledge I desired, with the flexibility to maintain my busy work and personal schedule. I was able to juggle all of it at my pace.”
Q: What else was going on in your life while you were pursuing your MIB degree?
Bombardi: “During the program, I was expanding my company into a new international market, traveling to visit clients and holding conferences in Mexico, Brazil, Canada and different parts of the U.S., as well as training with my four-way skydiving team to compete at the 2019 U.S. National Skydiving Competition in September 2019 – right in the middle of the fall semester!”
Q: What is your best experience in the Online MIB program?
Bombardi: “One of my favorite courses in the Online MIB program was Global Trade and Policy. I also liked that most classes assigned the cohort into groups so there was interaction and collaboration between students in addition to the materials covered in class.”
Bombardi: “I wish I had known that this program is aimed more toward recent grads without much work experience, as I do think the networking possibilities with my classmates would have been more advantageous.”
Q: Any advice for other students thinking of doing the Online MIB program?
Bombardi: “The structure and format of the classes and the program overall is great. It offers a lot of flexibility so that you can learn on your own schedule. I completed many assignments from hotel rooms (and lobbies!), airplanes, across many time zones. It’s completely doable if you put your mind to it. Use the resources available to you, keep the lines of communication open with your professors and get the max out of the program. It’s worth it.”
Q: Tell us three fun facts about you.
Bombardi: “1. I am an amateur athlete – I compete in a discipline called 4-way skydiving. I have 2 silver medals at the indoor skydiving national championships in 2018. I was one of 55 women invited to participate in the Red Bull Fly Girls event promoting women in the sport of skydiving in January 2019. I competed in the 2017 and 2019 US National Skydiving Championships
- I am a certified Skydiving Instructor by the USPA – United States Parachutist Association.
- I’ve been to and done business in 25 countries!”
