Business World: Lorenzo Soo in Barcelona

By Jamie Lichtenstein, Communications Intern

Junior Business and Enterprise Management major Lorenzo Soo knows the business world is global, so he’s taking his education on the road.  Studying in Barcelona, Spain for the fall semester, Lorenzo has enriched his academic experience, traveled to new and exciting places, and learned how he can make an impact on a worldwide workplace because of this Wake Forest education.

Lorenzo said decided to study abroad because he saw this as his best opportunity to experience many countries in a short time frame.

“I may never have another opportunity to visit all these places in Europe. Wake Forest offers great programs abroad, so students do not fall behind,” Soo said. “The Barcelona program aligned the most with where I wanted to study and with my major.”

While Wake Forest remains involved a student’s study-abroad experience, Soo said there are distinct differences between his time at Wake Forest and in Europe. “To study business outside the U.S. is a little different because the teachers have a different way of teaching and have very different perspectives because of where they have lived and grown up,” he said.

What does Soo miss about Wake Forest? “I miss having the close teacher-student relationships. The teachers in Barcelona are very different — they are not used to having that kind of relationship where if a problem arises they are very willing to help out. I believe it is a cultural and language barrier,” he said.

While this is not his first experience abroad, Soo has been interested in some of the cultural differences between Americans and Spaniards. “I love the culture here abroad because it is just completely different than the U.S.” He added that having the chance to immerse himself in a new culture for several months has expanded his horizons.