The trip of a lifetime

Tyler Whitsett knew he’d reap the benefits of his trip to Italy sooner or later.

In his case, sooner fits the bill.

The UM-Dearborn junior who’s studying supply chain management recently returned from a weeklong project at one of Europe’s oldest and most respected textile design companies, Marzotto Group. There, he and UM-Dearborn alumna Noela Leka helped create business strategies to aid in Marzotto’s future success.

They were among an elite class of 25 students and recent graduates from all parts of the world who were selected to participate in the project.

Shortly after Whitsett returned to the states, he hopped a flight to New Jersey to attend a two-day leadership conference in hopes he could land an internship.

His academic credentials and experience as president of UM-Dearborn’s SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) chapter matched up well with other students nationwide.

But then, during an interview with a couple executives, Whitsett mentioned his recent trip to Italy.

“They couldn’t believe it,” he said “Their reaction was just like, ‘huh.’ After that, there were three or four more executives who wanted to know everything about my trip.”

Clearly, he’s already reaping the benefits.

“I think that it gives me more than a leg up,” Whitsett said. “It puts me in a totally different playing field than everyone else.”

Whitsett plans to utilize the skills he learned at Marzotto Group now that he’s back on campus. But there are some things he’ll miss about Italy, especially the food.

See a video of Tyler's experience.

As for Leka, she’s accustomed to Italian culture. A native of Albania and fluent in Italian, Leka knew what to expect overseas, but the schedule was daunting at times.

“We would leave early in the morning and come back after midnight,” she said.

But those long hours paid off, as Leka and other students received high praise from executives at Marzotto Group.

“The project went very well and we got positive feedback from the company,” she said.

Leka graduated last May with bachelor’s degrees in accounting, criminal justice and political science. And like Whitsett, she also hopes the Italy experience will benefit her, particularly as she applies for graduate school.