Business Without Borders

by Rachel Carlson

The McBride Center for International Business has long served as a bridge between classroom learning and real-world global business experiences. Through international residencies, company visits and internship opportunities around the world offered through the McBride Center, students at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business are gaining firsthand exposure to how business operates across cultures, industries and markets.

For Joe Whalen, MBA ’26, and Natalie Weissinger, a junior studying ProSales, Management and International Business, those experiences have provided opportunities to grow professionally while expanding the way they think about leadership, adaptability and global business.

During the international residency component of Baylor’s MBA in Dallas for Executives and Professionals program, Whalen traveled to Portugal and the Czech Republic alongside his cohort and Online MBA students to meet with business leaders, tour companies and experience how culture and business intersect in global markets.

“I think the international trip is one of the strongest parts of the Baylor MBA program because it pushes you outside of your normal environment,” Whalen said. “It gave me the chance to connect classroom concepts to real business situations and better understand how companies operate on a global level.” 

One company visit that especially resonated with Whalen was a tour of the Sagres bottling facility, where he observed large-scale manufacturing automation and warehouse operations in action. Working professionally in manufacturing himself, he found the experience especially relevant.

“Watching how efficiently everything operated and how technology was integrated into the process gave me a new perspective on large-scale manufacturing operations,” Whalen said. 

Traveling alongside Online MBA students added another dimension to the experience.

“It was great getting to interact with the Online MBA students during the trip,” Whalen said. “Everyone brought different experiences and ideas, which made discussions more interesting and helped create stronger connections across the program.”

While the technical operations stood out, Whalen said the broader lessons extended far beyond production systems. Hearing directly from international business leaders reinforced how culture, communication and local environments shape decision-making in ways difficult to fully understand in a classroom alone.

“One of the biggest things I learned is that business practices can vary a lot depending on the country and culture,” Whalen said. “Leadership styles, communication and decision making all look different, but the companies that succeed are the ones that stay flexible and understand their people and customers.” 

That firsthand exposure is one reason experiential learning remains central to the McBride Center’s mission. Whether students are participating in international residencies or internships abroad, the goal is to immerse them in environments where they can actively apply what they are learning while developing cross-cultural awareness and professional confidence.

Weissinger’s experience took a different form through an international internship in Singapore with Huddleston Jones, an executive search firm specializing in banking and financial services, which she completed in summer 2025.

During the internship, Weissinger supported executive search efforts for internationally recognized banks by identifying candidates, preparing client-facing materials, and participating in candidate and client meetings alongside company leadership. Working in an unfamiliar industry and professional environment challenged her to adapt quickly while developing a stronger sense of independence.

“Stepping outside of my comfort zone and working in banking, an industry I knew very little about when I started, ultimately strengthened my confidence and showed me I was capable of more than I realized,” Weissinger said.

Living and working internationally also expanded Weissinger’s understanding of how interconnected today’s business world has become. Though based in Singapore, she regularly worked with professionals from the United Kingdom, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates.

“I learned that the global business world is much bigger than I thought,” Weissinger said. “I knew it was big to a certain extent, but the market is interconnected in ways I never realized.” 

Both students said the immersive nature of these experiences created lessons difficult to replicate through traditional coursework alone. Being physically present in another country, navigating new environments and interacting with professionals from different backgrounds made business concepts feel tangible.

“Being on the ground gave me a perspective a classroom cannot fully provide,” Whalen said. “Seeing the work environment, interacting with professionals and experiencing the culture firsthand made everything feel more real and practical.” 

Weissinger credits the McBride Center and its internship partners for helping students feel prepared before departure and supported while living abroad, from preparation meetings in Waco to assisting with daily logistics in Singapore.

As global business becomes increasingly interconnected, Whalen believes experiences like these are essential for future business leaders. Beyond technical business knowledge, Whalen said international experiences help students better understand how to lead and collaborate across cultures.

“Leaders need to know how to work with different cultures, perspectives and ways of thinking,” Whalen said. “It helps build stronger communication and better leadership skills.” 

For Weissinger, the experience ultimately reinforced the value of stepping into new environments, even when they feel intimidating at first. “The growth, confidence and independence you will gain is exponential,” Weissinger said. “Daunting and unfamiliar experiences are often the ones that make the biggest impact on your life.”