The Walton MBA Program believes in the value of a diverse cohort. Students come from a variety of backgrounds, with different undergraduate degrees and from different parts of the world. International students add variety to the MBA program by offering unique perspectives and enriching class discussion.
Giang Dang Vu, who goes by Ginny, is an international student in the MBA 2021 cohort. Ginny is also the recipient of the Karthik Sennimalai scholarship for International Students. She moved from Vietnam at the age of 17 in pursuit of a better education. Ginny obtained her undergraduate degree at Liberty University, where she majored in marketing analytics and digital marketing. She says that moving to America was not as intimidating as many would think. She believes the culture shock was minimized after years of watching American movies. “The whole experience to me was very exciting.”
The biggest challenge she felt moving abroad was the language barrier. Even after years of English classes, the colloquialisms were a struggle, but one that Ginny now feels she has conquered. “There was definitely a language barrier,” Ginny said. “But after years of practice and making friends, I don’t notice it as much anymore.”
Ginny decided to pursue her MBA after entering the workforce for a year. “I loved working and being out in the field, but I felt like something was missing.” This led her to consider entering a graduate program, and she began researching schools extensively. She was drawn to the University of Arkansas’ MBA Program for the unique supply chain culture that surrounds the university due to vast amount of fortune 500 companies in the area. Ginny is working towards her MBA with a supply chain focus.
Since joining the Walton MBA Program, Ginny has become involved as a graduate assistant and in her leadership role as a member of the Student Advisory Board. She feels she can offer a different viewpoint than her fellow students. “Being on the student advisory board, I’ve noticed how important it is to have different voices represent the [cohort]. I bring a totally unique perspective since I’m from a different country, and I’ve realized how essential that is when we are brainstorming ideas.”
Since joining the Walton MBA Program, Ginny has become involved as a graduate assistant and in her leadership role as a member of the Student Advisory Board. She feels she can offer a different viewpoint than her fellow students. “Being on the student advisory board, I’ve noticed how important it is to have different voices represent the [cohort]. I bring a totally unique perspective since I’m from a different country, and I’ve realized how essential that is when we are brainstorming ideas.”
“This scholarship helps make the tuition more affordable and helps the Walton MBA Program by bringing in much needed intellectual diversity,” said Vikas Anand, director of the MBA Programs. “International students assess problems differently than our other students, and the whole class can learn from them. Students also learn from interacting with someone from a different culture, so the benefits of having international students in our cohort is very high.”
Ginny said receiving the scholarship was confirmation of her work ethic. “I was very surprised and beyond happy. All of the work I had done leading up to that moment was validated.” This scholarship, paired with her graduate assistant scholarship, has been a significant help.
When asked what advice she would give to other international students considering an MBA, Ginny encourages students to have confidence in their abilities. She admits that it’s easy to be intimidated by difficulties like culture shock or language barriers, but not to let self-doubt hold them back. “I would say to believe in yourself and don’t hold back. There are a lot of tools available and people that are willing to help you.”
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