Spring 2008 Issue - NIU College of Business - Northern Illinois ...

The World According To…An Undergraduate – From DeKalb to Dublin“I have always been interested in Irish culture,”says Joan Dufelmeier, a senior marketing major at Northern Illinois University. Dufelmeier, who is ofIrish descent, grew up in a household where the Irish culture was strongly encouraged, from listeningto popular Irish music and reading classic Irish novels, to eating traditional dishes. For as long as shecan remember, Dufelmeier has aspired to reconnect with her heritage by visiting Ireland.In her senior year, she finally had the chance to fulfill her lifelong passion by studying abroadin Ireland. She and a group of fellow marketing students traveled to Dublin with Dan Weilbaker,McKesson Pharmaceutical Group professor of sales in the Department of Marketing. Weilbaker isalso the recipient of the university’s 2007 Outstanding International Educator designation. The twoweekstudy abroad course – Selling Strategies in Ireland – provided an opportunity for Dufelmeierto compare and contrast how business transactions occur within and outside of the United States.Dufelmeier and her peers shadowed Irish sales executives, toured famous landmarks, and tookclasses at the Dublin Institute of Technology.Dufelmeier was attracted to the study abroad program because it provided a great opportunity tolearn more about the sales industry within a global context. And it was her chance to “finally meetIrish people and observe their way of life.” From this experience, she hopes to become more adept atunderstanding the different perspectives that different cultures create. Dufelmeier hopes her careerwill include traveling, and she feels that because of this experience she will be better able to begin tounderstand what people in other cultures consider to be important.Since returning from Ireland and graduating in May 2008, Dufelmeier has continued to explorecareer opportunities. She seeks a position that draws upon the skills she learned with her marketingdegree and English minor; additionally, she aspires to work for a company with “a positive corporateculture.” Dufelmeier is currently president of both the Marketing Student Advisory Board and theStudent Alumni Association. She is also a member of the NIU College of Business Dean’s SteeringCommittee.~ Jennifer Kincaid, B.S. Marketing ’0824 | NIU College of Business www.cob.niu.edu Where the Classroom Meets the Business World