Traveling abroad is an ideal way to learn new sets of skills that you could not learn in any other setting. An internship or company visit abroad takes this skill-set one step further by requiring people to act and communicate professionally and efficiently in another country. The Hogan Entrepreneurial Program allows students to do just that.

Students are taken to China and/or India annually to experience the countries’ culture, work force, and beauty. For many students, traveling outside of the country presents them with new challenges such as knowing which foods to stay away from, adapting to a new country’s customs, and navigating through an unfamiliar place, to name a few.

“One of our students pointed out that she has never really been on her own before,” said Dr. Caryn Callahan, leader of the China trip. “And although we are carefully structured in China so that we all stay in the same hotels … still going by herself everyday on the subway from the hotel to the internship company and back, in a really huge city when she had never been off the islands was something that gave her a lot of confidence. “

Last summer, eight Chaminade students (who are in the Hogan Program) traveled to China for three weeks. Three continued on to India for another three weeks. Along with company visits and an internship in China, the students also had the opportunity to see many of the beautiful sights that both countries had to offer.

Jolica Domdom, a Chaminade senior, was lucky enough to visit both India and China. During her time in China she interned for a skin care and cosmetic company called Merryful where her job was to update their social media website with descriptions of each of the products that they had her review.

“Although the internship was focused on social media and the skincare and cosmetic products, I gained so much more than that,” Domdom said. “I learned to become more independent by figuring out how to take the subway on the way to my internship. It helped me become a braver person by asking questions when I did not understand something or when I got lost.”

In China, students went to small- and mid-sized companies, and then have an internship that is tailored to fit their interest. Students visited Beijing for company visits and famous sites such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. They then traveled to Shanghai for their internships. Other stops along the way included Hong Kong and Macau.

Students who went on the India trip are also there to learn more about the entrepreneurs in India. They visited large corporate companies, non-profit organizations and even small mom and pop businesses. As of right now the trip to India did not include an internship, but that is something that the program hopes to have in the future. Aside from the company visits, students were able to visit New Delhi, the capital of India, for the first time. They also visited Bangalore, Mysore, and were able to visit the Taj Mahal – one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

“In both countries, the idea is to learn about the entrepreneurs but also to learn about the country, the people, the culture,” said Ginger Miller, the leader of the India trip. “The culture is what makes the country work. And so, for instance, in India … we of course go into a lot of temples, and we meet a lot of people that are just off the street.”

The trips are funded mostly by the Hogan Program and fundraising that the students do throughout the year. They also receive some outside funding for the China trip from the Friedman Foundation. Students are responsible for their airfare, visa, and travel insurance.

These trips are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and are open to students outside of the Hogan Program as well. For information about joining the Hogan Program or just wanting more information on the trips, call El Rising at (808) 440-4280 or email her at [email protected].