Students learn business, culture on recent study abroad trip to UAE
Students learn business, culture on recent study abroad trip to UAE
Since starting at the University of Northern Iowa, Isabel Ernzen (‘26) knew she wanted to take advantage of study abroad opportunities. Last year, she scanned an email from the school listing trips over the 2024-25 winter break, and one destination stood out: the United Arab Emirates.
It was a unique opportunity to visit the Middle East, so Ernzen signed up — and she’s glad she did.
“It’s not a place I would necessarily pick to go to, but looking at the itineraries of the trips, I thought this would be the one I’d get the most out of,” she said. “The amount of stuff we were able to see and do there, it was definitely worth it.”
The group of eight students experienced some stunning sights during the 11-day trip, from the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, to the Museum of the Future and a desert safari. They visited both Dubai and the capital city, Abu Dhabi, and toured some of the country’s biggest companies.
One of those companies was the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the state-owned oil company of the UAE. The group learned about the company’s history and culture, toured its headquarters, and listened to presentations on its future goals.
“It definitely opened my eyes visiting an international company, especially one owned by the government, and seeing what it’s like, what’s different,” said (Ryan Bulver ‘26). “I was excited to visit companies in another country to see what their work culture is like and how different it is from the U.S. I think that's beneficial for anyone, but especially for someone in business.”
To prepare for the trip, students took a three-credit course covering the Dubai/Abu Dhabi business environment, including the UAE’s current state of affairs, business culture and historical context in the global economy. That’s how students were first introduced to each other, but they were able to form deeper connections during the trip.
I really enjoyed making new friends and building new connections with professors. I feel like those connections and what we learned on the trip are so helpful for future internship or job opportunities, just to have this experience.”
For Ernzen, this experience will provide benefits throughout her education and career. And it won’t be her last study abroad trip either — she's heading to France this summer to spend time at the Rennes School of Business, a UNI partner college.
“I think this experience will help a lot, especially when working in groups or teams and being open to other perspectives,” Ernzen said. “For an internship, I think these trips will help me meet new people and people from other cultures. It’s beneficial to get out of my comfort zone and experience what that’s like.”
