The Accounting Times Spring '08

Student Group Bridges Cultural Gap

May Wang, BBA ’08, MPA ’08, performs a traditional Chinese folk dance at the MIC Culture Party this spring)

Many international MPA students experience a whirlwind introduction to life in the U.S. that goes something like this: Graduate from a foreign university, transition to life in a new country, city, and school, navigate the challenging Texas MPA program, and gear up to work in the U.S.—sometimes in as few as 12-18 short months.
 
Meredith Shen can attest to the challenges inherent in entering the MPA program from overseas. “I graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University with a bachelor’s degree in economics, and came straight to the Texas MPA program with no full-time work experience,” she says.
 
Luckily, there is a group that caters specifically to the circumstances of international MPA students like Shen. MPA International Connection (MIC) was created in 2005 by Michelle Polkinghorn, MPA career advisor. “While working with international MPA students in my first semester at McCombs, I found that they had many unique job search issues that required unique strategies,” she explains.
 
In April 2005, Polkinghorn and MPA academic advisor Keri Ledezma hosted a focus group of four enrolled international MPAs to learn about the perceptions, beliefs and opinions of students from other countries. “Through their eyes, we identified the primary career-related struggles these students face and also brainstormed ways to improve career services for them,” Polkinghorn says. The ideas that came out of the session served as the springboard to MIC, which continues to develop each year through valuable student input and the efforts of student volunteers who serve as group mentors.
 
Since the program started, MPA students from Hungary, Greece, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Mexico, the People’s Republic of China and South Korea have benefited from the career and life strategies MIC provides. Meeting topics include cultural considerations for the job search; time management; American small talk; and e-mail, dining and recruiting etiquette.
 
MIC also fosters camaraderie and fun, including socializing while watching a UT football game and practicing the fine art of extolling the virtues of the ’Horns. At the beginning of the spring 2008 semester, MIC hosted a Welcome Back Culture Party for MPA students and program staff members. Students presented dances, games and a fashion show that showcased the cultures of their homelands while party-goers enjoyed international fare.
 
“Not only does MIC help prospective and current international students prepare for their job search in the U.S., but it also builds trust and facilitates communication with MPA Career Services staff, allowing us to serve them more effectively,” says Polkinghorn. Shen enthusiastically agrees. “MIC provides me with opportunities to network and make friends with other international students and addresses issues typical to us. With the help of MIC, I successfully secured several job offers,” she says.