Duke in Geneva Summer
If you take the Number 3 bus all the way down to Crets-de-Champel, you’ll stumble upon the Cite Universitaire. These sets of buildings located in Geneva, Switzerland, have housed hundreds, if not thousands, of like-minded students studying things like macroeconomics and entrepreneurship over the past few decades. This place has become my home for the last two weeks, and I couldn’t be more glad. I’m Kyle Melatti, a rising sophomore studying Public Policy, Economics, and the PPE Certificate. This summer I am in the Duke in Geneva program with Professors Reeves and Rosenberg studying international business and globalization.
Before the program, I thought of myself as an international person. As a son of two immigrants to the United States and having learned multiple languages growing up, I was taken aback by just how many other cultures, languages, and ethnicities I have already experienced in Geneva. I’ve made friends from Zimbabwe to South Korea in the matter of a few days, and it’s not uncommon to find those from all walks of life. Many people here don’t originate from the city, but they are attracted to it in order to help others, engage in business, or learn from great minds. This is a melting pot, and it acts as one central, international hub of commerce, NGO’s, and IGO’s.
Right now we are in our third week of classes that go from Monday to Thursday. The weekends are left for us to explore the city or travel around Europe. During our week, however, we often have field trips or briefings related to our coursework from people working in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. Just last week we got to meet with the new Director of the Centre for Sports and Human Rights, learning about how big international sports leagues prioritize and take into account human rights.
These field trips and courses have taught me not only more about business, politics, and globalization, but also how to think in the bigger picture, sometimes larger than I thought possible. I’ve learned the importance of corporate responsibility, engaging in human rights, and listening to advocates. There is no better place to study international business or participate in the MMS Certificate than Geneva, Switzerland. I feel not only fully prepared for future coursework but also energized to learn more about our international macroeconomy, and I highly recommend anyone interested to apply for this program too.