Alumna

Tove Samuelsson ’14

Self-Designed Major

I’vealways loved Paris, but that wasn’t why I chose .I’m a Swedish citizen and by the time Istartedapplying to universities, I’d already lived in a multitude ofplaces,including Kuala Lumpur, Australia, andSweden, andcould speakor understand Swedish,English,Danish,and Norwegian.When I first visited, Iwasstruck byhow so many other students hadalso spent their lives traveling from one far-flung locale to another. For once, I wasn’t the only globetrotter in the room, and it felt like coming home.

Onceenrolled,I appreciatedthe balance struck between structure and flexibility. Whilestudents were free toexplore their passions,they had multiple sources of guidance.As a first-year student,I was interested intheInternational Economics and International Businessmajors, butneither fully corresponded to what I wanted.Aftermany discussions withmy mentor,ProfessorGeoff Gilbert,as well as Professors Robert Earhart and AliRahnema,I created my own major,International Marketing and Management.While able toindulge inthe fantastic course offerings, Iwasalsoencouraged to look beyond’s borders. I chose to participate in the Semester at Seaprogram,which allowed me to travel to 13 countries, meet Nobel Prize winners and world leaders, and gain invaluable experience through in-country service projects.

I got to take advantage of small classes, highly dedicated professors, and an international student body, all of which would have been hard to find elsewhere.

Tove Samuelsson ’14

I admired how had deep roots in the city and culture of Paris, while also fostering anintensely internationalclassroom experience.My cultural educationrevolved aroundliving withinthe unfamiliarFrench culture, whilesharing classroomswith students froma huge array ofnationalities, cultures, and countries.I gained pricelessinsights into how differentpeopleslook uponany number of globalissuesandquestions.

I believe thatfor most of us, our time atuniversityis when we startto grow up and become thesort of adult we want to be. Looking back, I feel lucky to have spent these crucialyearsat and in Paris.Not only didIgaincritical thinking and communication skills, which have proven vital to my career, but I also got to take advantage of small classes, highly dedicated professors, and an international student body, all of which would have been hard to find elsewhere. I alsodiscovereda second home in Paris,whichhas an extraordinary capacity for teaching people how to enjoylife, be it with its food or its eternal celebration of beauty, in all the forms it takes.

Aftera stint working as amarketing consultantfor a startup,Ibecamean account strategistatGoogle. Here, Iprovidedstrategic and consultative advertising solutionsfor businesses, while helpingour Nordic teamimprovecustomerinteractionand workingas a Swedish representative with our Nordic advertisers. I leftGoogle to dovolunteer work with refugeesand now live in Stockholm, whereI manageCoca Cola’s national and key accounts withSwedish wholesalersand oversee allsales across the Norwegian-Swedish border.Remember thatlife is a journey of constant self-development: youshould alwaysjustgo for it.