BS International Business

Four students at Quinnipiac got the opportunity to develop cross-cultural research projects in areas that piqued their academic and professional interest for the 7^th annual Sigma Xi Student Research Conference in April 2018. After their submissions underwent a lengthy review and selection process, students defended their work to an audience of faculty judges from a range of scientific disciplines.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Ryann Glushek ’20. Glushek’s goal is to earn a JD and MBA en route to a career as a legal consultant for multinational corporations. She is currently enrolled as a Quinnipiac law student.

Other research study presentations included “Antecedents of Political Terrorism: A Multinational Study” authored by Pavel Aragon ’18; “Cultural Influences on Contract Enforcement: A Multinational Study” authored by Ryann Glushek ’20; “A Multinational Study of Culture’s Impact on Gender Equality and Women’s Entrepreneurial Activity” authored by Cristiana Kamais ’19; and “Environmental and Cultural Values Impact on Country Happiness; A Multinational Study” authored by Megan Winagle ’18.

More recently in May 2020, four Quinnipiac students presented their research at the International Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society’s Virtual Student Scholars Symposium. One hundred students from around the world were selected to present research representing a range of “STEM” categories. Within the category of “Human Behavioral and Social Sciences,” Kaelin Murray ’22 presented a research project titled, “A Multinational Study of Culture and Economic Freedom’s Impact on Customer Orientation”; Christopher Hecht ’22 presented “Examining the Effects of Culture, Education and Corruption on Freedom of Expression: A Multinational Study”; Jaclyn Levesque ’21 presented “The Impact of Culture, Judicial Independence and GDP on Personal Freedom”; and William James ’22 presented “A Cross-Cultural Study of the Influences of National Culture, Political Culture, and Economic Growth on Innovation.” All of the students are international business majors.

Sigma Xi, the international honor society of science and engineering, is one of the world’s oldest and largest scientific organizations. In its 125-year history, more than 200 Nobel Prize winners have called themselves members. The Sigma Xi Student Research Conference enables students to cultivate a multinational perspective, significantly increase their research capabilities and enhance their public speaking skills, among other benefits.

For Jenna Braca ’17, MBA ’18, gaining global perspective was central to both her undergraduate and graduate academic experiences. In 2015, the accelerated dual-degree (3+1) student completed a marketing internship at Tasly Pharmaceuticals in Tianjin, China, followed by an internship as a credit analyst at TD Bank in New York in Summer 2016.

She also studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and traveled to 13 other countries in Spring 2016.

”I had the opportunity to travel to four continents,” Braca said. ”I've managed to learn so much about the world and myself.”

An internship at Quinnipiac’s Central European Institute in Fall 2017 enabled Braca to continue working in cross-cultural environments while she earned her MBA. There, she utilized her creative problem-solving skills to help Hungarian companies enter the U.S. market.

”I really enjoyed my time with the CEI, and I’m excited to continue my work with the program,” she said.

As she finishes her accelerated dual-degree (3+1) program, Braca is confident that all of her professional growth and exposure will unlock career opportunities, both at home and abroad.

”I know that I will be able to use my experiences working with international companies in my future career.”

After earning his BA in international business, Nicholas Melillo ’00 set out on a journey that would take him from managing a small tobacco shop to running the largest cigar factory in Nicaragua and eventually to launching his own company in 2015.

Melillo’s company, Foundation Cigars, has experienced tremendous success in a short amount of time. It made Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 list in its first year, and its premium, hand-rolled cigars can be found in smoke shops all over the world. For Melillo, this is just the beginning.

”I want to keep growing my company, but I want to do it the proper way,” he said. ”Quality and consistency will always be a crucial part of that.”

To ensure this level of quality, Melillo splits his time between Esteli, Nicaragua, where his home and factory are located, and his office and tobacco farm in Windsor, Connecticut. Whatever time zone he happens to be in, he is hard at work. Running an international company is incredibly challenging. Rising to the top of a craft industry presents an even greater challenge. Melillo couldn't imagine a better livelihood.

”Every day I get to combine my two great passions: cigars and business.”