Three study abroad experiences in just over a year have reshaped how Sofia Ramirez (’27 Busi. Admin., Psych.) sees her future. Through two faculty-led trips to Panama and a monthlong experience in Italy, she has moved beyond studying business in a classroom to understanding how it operates across borders — an experience that has redefined what she sees as possible for her career.
Connecting learning to real business
Studying abroad was not always part of Ramirez’s plan. As a first-generation student attending WSU Tri-Cities, she initially focused on staying close to home and building a path forward through her course work. That changed after learning more about study abroad opportunities. Scholarship support from the Carson College and university resources helped make those experiences possible, allowing her to focus on her studies while taking part in programs she once thought were out of reach.
Ramirez’s first trip to Panama during spring break 2025 introduced her to international business practices. Visits to the Panama Canal and organizations involved in global trade, banking, and infrastructure were particularly impactful. In a visit to Global Bank, she observed leadership styles and workplace environments and began to connect ideas about communication and organizational culture to what she had learned in class. Accounting, finance, and management concepts became easier to understand when she saw them applied in real-world settings, she said.
I feel like it has changed me a lot in terms of how I see my future and what I want to do.
Sofia Ramirez, student
Washington State University
“Knowing how to really retain your employees and how to not just manage them, but create this good community within your company, is really important in business,” she said.
A second trip the following year built on that experience, expanding on lessons from her previous trip of how businesses function in a rapidly growing international hub. A longer study abroad experience in Italy added another dimension, with a focus on hospitality and customer experience. There, she explored how businesses prioritize service and create environments that support both employees and customers, reinforcing the importance of people-centered approaches across industries.
Shaping future goals
Ramirez said during her second trip to Panama helped her recognize how her skills could apply there and shifted her thinking about where her career might take her.
“I love their work style, and I’m bilingual — I already speak Spanish — so I can get along with everyone and really transfer what I’ve learned here at WSU over there,” she said. “I’d never thought about living in Panama, and now I’m thinking about moving there because of how much this experience impacted me.”
In the near term, Ramirez hopes to begin her career locally, potentially through opportunities like an internship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, but her long-term goals now include working abroad and eventually building a career that blends her interests in business and psychology.
“I feel like it has changed me a lot in terms of how I see my future and what I want to do,” she said. “When I was younger, I just wanted to be a nine-to-five worker. Now I feel like I could own company or move somewhere new and have a career there — my expectations of myself have really leveled up.”
