Abby McCarthy connects global learning with career goals

When Abby McCarthy began a five-month exchange at City University of Hong Kong, she became the first Carson College of Business student to participate in a bilateral exchange in China since 2019. The international business and finance major saw an opportunity to study in a global commerce hub while learning how to navigate business and daily life in a different setting.

She said the experience built on a shorter, faculty-directed study abroad program in Dubai that had already changed her academic direction. Together, the programs helped McCarthy develop an approach to working across cultures that she would later apply during a Boeing internship.

Finding an international direction

McCarthy arrived at WSU with a plan to pursue hospitality business management. That changed after Associate Professor Dipra Jha encouraged her to join a spring break program he was leading in Dubai.

She said her cohort arrived during Ramadan, and she was immediately struck by how cultural conventions directly affect everything from business deals to daily life.

"After I went to Dubai, I realized I wanted to do work across different cultures and explore new perspectives," she said. "It threw me into the deep end in the best way possible because it showed me what was possible - if I could do this in my second semester of college, what else can I do while I'm here?"

McCarthy said the trip ultimately inspired her to change her major to international business and pair it with finance. As her interest in supply chain work developed, she saw how financial knowledge could help her understand costs, identify bottlenecks, and evaluate ways to improve operations.

Learning how business crosses borders

When McCarthy began exploring a longer international experience, a Carson advisor suggested Hong Kong. She researched the destination and committed to the exchange, arranging an apartment before departure and navigating transportation after arriving.

Her experiences in Dubai and Hong Kong helped her recognize that effective business relationships require attention to others' expectations. In Dubai, she saw a strong emphasis on relationship building, reinforcing the importance of understanding the perspective of prospective partners before beginning business discussions. Her time in Hong Kong honed her ability to work in a fast-paced environment and collaborate with people from different backgrounds.

She said both experiences reinforced the lesson that building business relationships requires learning before making assumptions.

"As an international business major and someone who wants to work with different cultures, you have to research what that country values in a working relationship, because not every country is the same," she said.

Living in Hong Kong gave her regular opportunities to practice adapting and learning about another culture. McCarthy tried speaking Cantonese in grocery stores, grew more comfortable approaching local students, and adjusted to three-hour university classes.

Those experiences also influenced her approach to working with teams. She became more deliberate about listening to others and understanding their perspectives. She said this lesson directly informed her understanding of the value of working with diverse teams in a professional setting.

Putting experience into practice

Carson's employer events and interview preparation helped McCarthy secure a summer internship in Boeing's supply chain contracts operation. A practice interview gave her feedback and introduced her to a Boeing representative she later recognized at a networking event. She said the internship gave her multiple opportunities to put the lessons she learned abroad into practice. In one memorable exercise, McCarthy explored alternative sourcing options when a supply chain disruption arose and helped identify another supplier capable of manufacturing a needed component.

"Hong Kong really set me up to just go straight into my internship and actually start working with real professionals," she said.

McCarthy has since received a formal offer for an entry-level position at Boeing. She hopes to build a career working directly with suppliers around the world.

She said her education at Carson and the faculty guidance and international experiences it offered have helped her identify that direction and develop the skills to pursue it.

"My overall goal is just to create impact bigger than myself," McCarthy said.