Austin Haddock and Trevor Friesen spent the spring 2024 semester at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.

Spears Business students expand skills through semester-long program in Thailand

Monday, October 28, 2024

Media Contact: Hallie Hart | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | hallie.hart@okstate.edu

Trevor Friesen doesn’t have to guess where the conversation will lead when he arrives for an interview with an internship recruiter or a scholarship committee.

The Spears School of Business junior from Edmond, Oklahoma, has three majors and a plethora of academic achievements on his résumé, but one uncommon item stands out as the icebreaker.

“If I don’t bring it up within the first five minutes in an interview, it always gets brought up,” Friesen said.

Whenever he has the chance, Friesen enthusiastically reflects on his spring 2024 semester at Chulalongkorn University, widely ranked as the most prestigious university in Thailand. He and Austin Haddock, an accounting master’s student, were the first OSU students in five years to participate in this study abroad program. With course topics ranging from marketing to Thai culture and government, Haddock and Friesen looked at business from new, broader perspectives.

“I just really wanted to do something completely different,” Haddock said. “Something that some people would maybe say was unexpected of me.”

Austin Haddock enjoys the scenery in Thailand. — Austin Haddock spent a semester in Thailand, where she learned about business and enjoyed the scenery. (Courtesy of Austin Haddock)

It was a formative experience for both students. Friesen gained firsthand knowledge of international business, one of his majors along with management and marketing. Haddock decided to minor in marketing and international business, diversifying her skills before obtaining her bachelor’s degree in May 2024.

As she entered her final undergraduate semester, Haddock sought an experience beyond the typical senior milestones. The first-generation college student from Claremore, Oklahoma, hadn’t traveled much, never leaving the United States until her junior year at OSU.

After a study abroad program in South Africa as a Spears Scholar Leader, Haddock realized she wanted to extend her time abroad. Haddock participated in this experience through the Spears Business Center for Advanced Global Leadership and Engagement, and it opened her eyes to more opportunities.

“Weeks after, I just could not stop thinking about it,” Haddock said. “Even to this day, the people I went with, we still talk about it.”

Haddock started thinking bigger as a senior, searching the OSU Center for Global Learning website for semester-long study abroad programs.

Only one Spears Business student had previously studied at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, and no one from OSU had participated in the program since 2019. The chance to do something out of the ordinary appealed to Friesen and Haddock, who said she intentionally selected a destination she knew little about.

Although they barely knew each other before the trip, Haddock and Friesen flew to Thailand together and bonded over home. At their apartment complex in Thailand, they also befriended peers from Canada, Germany, Singapore, Italy and England, staying in a setting where no nationality made up a large majority.

“We were all craving something new,” Haddock said. “We all had similar attitudes toward learning and being open to new experiences. Surrounding yourself with people like that who are going to build you up, that was a really important step for me.”

Haddock leaned on this support as she stepped out of her comfort zone to deliver marketing presentations in class. While the analytical processes of accounting come naturally to her, she had to dig deep to find her creative side.

“It really changed my thought process on a lot of things,” Haddock said. “By studying marketing and international business and doing something completely different, now I’m able to look at business not just from an accounting perspective, but see why they’re doing things (beyond) just for financial reasons.”

As she studied new topics, she was also seeing them in a new context. For one project, Haddock and her classmates developed plans for marketing Thai products to other nations, gaining a big-picture view of the industry across cultures. Haddock learned to appreciate the distinct elements of Thai marketing strategies, which included a greater focus on artificial intelligence.

In some ways, common threads carried between Spears and Chulalongkorn University. Instructors taught in English, and Friesen understood familiar topics such as Porter’s Five Forces, an analysis framework for competitive business.

Other assignments were unlike anything he had done before. For one course, Friesen visited a Buddhist temple and created a vlog about the experience. The students also learned about Thai culture outside class, feeding elephants at a sanctuary in northern Thailand and regularly gathering to enjoy local cuisine.

Trevor Friesen visits the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. — When he had free time, Trevor Friesen traveled beyond Thailand. Here, he shows his Cowboy spirit outside the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. (Courtesy of Trevor Friesen)

“I traveled pretty much every weekend, whether it was getting on a plane and flying a couple hundred miles or whether it was getting on a bus or a ferry, seeing an island, seeing a random city,” Friesen said. “I love just seeing something new.”

Back in Stillwater this fall, Haddock and Friesen continue to thrive as Spears students. Friesen’s awards include selection for the inaugural Tom Love Scholars Program, while Haddock is the recipient of the 2024-25 Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants Robin Byford Scholarship, named for its benefactor who graduated from OSU. Haddock has also secured an upcoming full-time position as an auditor at HoganTaylor after three internships with the business advisory and accounting firm.

While emerging as young professionals, Haddock and Friesen each have a unique appreciation for their experiences at Chulalongkorn University. Haddock said she aspires to someday return to Thailand but doesn’t expect much time for travel in the early years of her accounting career, so she’s grateful she jumped on the opportunity in college.

For Friesen, Thailand was only the beginning. He intends to spend the spring 2025 semester in Scotland and encourages others to study abroad, mentioning the financial aid provided through OSU. Spears Business offers a multitude of study abroad programs through the CAGLE Center, and other opportunities are available through the OSU Center for Global Learning.

Although Friesen’s semester in Thailand provides a talking point during interviews, the value to him is much deeper. The experience highlighted the importance of cross-cultural collaboration, and he’s inspired to learn more.

“A lot of companies are international, so it’s not even a skill,” Friesen said. “It’s becoming a necessity. It excites me to work internationally, live internationally and potentially go to grad school internationally. It was a lot of fun.”