Ryan Friars

My Experience in Kyoto changed my life. After returning to Canada, I felt driven to pursue an international career and began searching for ways to achieve that goal. I sought new opportunities to travel abroad independently to create a learning experience that would propel me toward a global career in business. The GSO program and my related efforts as a GSO champion gave me the skills and confidence to do this. In February of this year, I applied for the Peter Mansbridge Internship abroad, given to a single student at Mount Allison University, to create a unique adventure related to leadership development intended for academic and pre-professional experience. An essential aspect of this award is a partner organization. Using my acquired GSO skills and connections, I partnered with the Mitutoyo Corporation and Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai to create a 6-week micro internship on compassion-centred business practice. This experience contributed greatly to my academic and career aspirations and was only possible because of my GSO experience in 2023. Today, I am building my application for a master's degree in international business.