Estefania Read Elizalde’s goal of maintaining a global vision while making a local impact was never more on display than when she took a study abroad excursion to Thailand last year. She had planned to study in Bangkok one semester, but decided it wasn’t enough. So she became full-time intern during a second semester at Kasetsart University, where she assisted the dean and led seminars in English about culture, business and education.
Still, she felt there was more to do, so she became a bi-monthly volunteer at Bangkok Remand Prison where she visited Latino prisoners to give them messages from their families overseas, bringing hope to the inmates and well wishes from loved ones so far away.
When her second semester was finished, she was offered an internship in Fukuoka University in Japan for a month during the summer. There, she worked with foreign students studying in Japan, helping them to understand the sometimes rigid culture.
Elizalde returned to USF in August 2016 to resume studies in her senior year at the Muma College of Business. She is getting ready to graduate in May 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a concentration in supply-chain management. She has an overall grade point average of 3.64.
She was accepted into the Student Innovator Incubator program and successfully pitched a business idea of an online clothing store that follows the one-for-one model of selling one item and donating one to a person in need.
Recently, Elizalde accepted a job offer for a full time Area Manager position at one of Amazons fulfillment centers. She will start in June.
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