Reflection: Jacob Hernandez Fashion Merchandising and Marketing senior

Admiring the beautiful view of Prague from
the top of Dancing House

Research Topic:

My research topic examined resilience in businesses and nation-states, specifically considering cyber warfare and the negative effects it has on shareholders and stakeholders. Some of the effects discussed include the impact of lost financial assets, stolen private information and tarnished images. With many businesses and countries striving to continue to expand technologically, resilience against cyber warfare is a crucial topic and a major issue to be dealt with and pursued. Both Prague and Berlin have been subject to many difficulties in their past and are currently still trying to rebuild physically, emotionally, and financially. Businesses can be directly related to this kind of reconstruction, and resilience is the key to remaining on this path to restoration.

InfoGraphic:

The infographic that is related to my research includes methods and tactics that businesses and countries can utilize in order to remain resilient against cyber attacks. It specifically notes who cyber criminals are, where their strengths lie, some of the methods that they use, and the impacts that they have on those who are involved. It indicates that institutions must have frameworks that can maintain the security of its infrastructure, and also steps that can be taken in order to develop as a resilient institution.

Travel Experience:

This experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will remember for the rest of my life. From the food that I ate, to the people that I met and the sights that I saw. Being immersed in different cultures that were vastly different from the one I am used to was both intimidating and exciting.The guides and friends that we met while in Prague and Berlin were great at helping us to adapt to their own culture while also embracing ours and the values that we have. I think that is the most important aspect to keep in mind when traveling anywhere: understanding the culture and being respectful of people's values and beliefs. I have traveled places before, but it was more for leisure and pleasure. Although I had an amazing experience with this course, the ambiance of our overall goal and mission was completely different, which I highly enjoyed. It was also fascinating to see the landmarks and architecture that many only read about in history books. History generally bores me, but this trip definitely allowed me to appreciate it more. 

Getting ready to board our flight back from
Berlin with our guide Steffi!!

Taking a selfie with our guide (and new friend) from Prague Olga!

Critical Reflection:

The outcomes of this trip immeasurably surpassed any expectations that I had before the trip. Although we were only in Prague and Berlin for a total of 8 days, I learned so much about the people, the cultures, their values, and the beauty that each had to offer. At first, I thought that I wasn't going to appreciate the trip as much as the other students because I am a Fashion Merchandising and Marketing major. Although I had an interest in what the class had to offer and what the particular study was, it was still more geared towards Interior Design Students (or so I thought). I imagined that my peers would have a greater sense of passion for the material and the sites that we planned to visit. As soon as we landed there and I peered outside the bus window on the way to our hostel, my mind completely changed. Throughout the week I realized that although this course was designed for ID students, any person, regardless of their major, could appreciate what Prague and Berlin had to offer. One of the moments that stuck out for me was when the group visited Municipal House and toured an Art Nouveau museum. Inside, I saw many garments, furniture, and even accessories that dated back to 1800's. This was a very unique event that we went to that was catered to me and wasn't planned in our itinerary. I think the best thing about traveling is that every day is full of surprises and you never know what you can come across.

Personal Growth:

I believe that this was a very unique trip in the sense that everyone I traveled with was a student or person that I knew prior to traveling. That being said, it was interesting to realize that not only did I learn about myself from experiencing different cultures and meeting new people with different values and beliefs, but I also learned a lot about myself by traveling with a larger group. We all had different strengths and weaknesses that we never realized we had until being exposed to foreign territory, and my classmates and I really worked together in making this a positive experience for everyone. Learning how to adapt to an environment that is completely different than I am used to also proved to be a scary, yet rewarding challenge that I took head on. Lastly, this experience helped me to understand and accept others that are very different from myself. Acceptance of others is something that I rarely struggle with, so it was a great experience and learn the different customs and lifestyles.

The group and I posing on pieces of the Berlin Wall

Academic Enhancement:

The travel portion of this course greatly impacted my interest in the topics that we discussed in class, as well as the overall experience and knowledge that I attained throughout the semester. As stated previously, although we read about some of these topics and landmarks in history books, nothing can compare to seeing them in real life. Adding the travel portion within the class helped me to become invested in the topics that were discussed and also allowed me to gain an experience that directly related to my studies. 

Civic Engagement:

Having the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others allows people to understand and identify public issues and concerns that are facing not just one's own community, but the communities of others nationally and internationally. By providing blog postings and an infographic, our class is better able to educate people about current issues, events and topics that are imperative and significant to know about. I think what makes this portion of the course even more meaningful is that each and every person was passionate about the topics that they chose, and were more than eager to share the breadth of knowledge that they learned with the people in their own community and those of others. The sharing of knowledge is what keeps us all connected no matter where we are, and it was an amazing to contribute to others in this way.