+

Question I: Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development

IE Business Application - Ann-Christin Schubert

+Travelling is an activity I enjoy doing The passion for travelling already evolved when I was

in high school I always enjoyed travelling to unknown cities and

countries and was eager to learn more about their culture and history

My first student exchange with 14 though was the milestone that really made me realize how much travelling means to me and how much I can learn through travelling

+Communication Being on an exchange in

Poland for two weeks when I was 14 taught me the following:

By being open and willing to communicate with people, speaking the same language is not always necessary

I didn‘t know Polish and they hardly knew German, but we still managed to communicate and exchange experiences

+Realize that every culture is unique

Sometimes it is difficult to realize that every culture is different

Living with a family in France for two weeks taught me that every culture is unique, although they might seem similar on the surface

Now when I communicate with colleagues from around the world I know that everyone has their unique culture and is important to value it

+Challenging myself Walking 200 kilometers in 9

days sounded like an impossible task at first

However, I wanted to challenge myself

200 kilometers later we arrived in Santiago de Compostella and I knew I did it

Being able to master this showed me that I should not be afraid of challenges, but rather find ways to take on the challenge and find solutions to it.

+Be flexible and adapt to new situations

Living in Australia for six weeks I realized the importance of being able to quickly adapt to new situations

Going from living in a female boarding school to living on a farm within 4 weeks, I needed to be flexible

It also showed me that every new situation broadens your horizon and will shape your development

+Be open and try new things

Moving to the United States for 2 years meant many changes in my life

However, I always stayed open, participated and didn‘t judge anything before I tried it

Whether it meant eating local food or going to sport events, I tried it all

By being open I received opportunities I would have missed out on otherwise

+Be curios and willing to learn

Being in the United States it is important for me to always be willing to learn more

I think it is vital to be curious whether it is about history or nature or just the famous sights of the country

Being curious and willing to learn helped me to quickly become comfortable in my new job

+Take on new opportunities

While living in the U.S. I had several opportunities to visit friends that live in different parts of the world

Although it sometimes meant 24 hours of travelling I didn‘t want to miss out on the experiences I could receive

If given an opportuntiy I always try to follow that opportuntity as new discoveries can lead to different perspectives on certain topics

+Global Connections

During my time here in the U.S. I got to know many people from all around the world

These global connections are valuable as it is interesting to hear their different opinions and experiences

I recognized that having different mindsets when working on a project can lead to better results as the ideas are more divers

+Teamwork is the key

One other aspect I experienced through my travelling is that teamwork is important

Whether it is my team at work or my group of friends

A team can only function if everyone participates and feels part of it

Only then the team will achieve their best results

+So how does travelling contribute to my development?

Always have an open and positive attitude

Become more independent Be more confident Improve my self-reflection Curiosity and excitment to

learn about new places, cultures and countries

Being part of a team is important

Be open to new opportunities Face challenges Learn to adapt to new

situations Be more flexible Always be willing to learn more Develop own opinion

Personal life Professional life