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¡México fue Maravilloso!*
Where in the world will they go next?

Special to LSUS News LSUS students, faculty and a friend gather at a Mexican vista to record their participation in the educational trip to Mexico.They are (bottom from lower left) Stacie Pettiet and Marcus Hughes; (standing from left) Dr. Tim Shaughnessy, Joe Grass, Hilary Maglothin, Dr. Wolfgang Hinck, Sandy Jones, Amina Bader, Renee Korb and Katherine Robbins.

Tiffany Milne
A diverse group of LSUS students, two professors and a van were Mexico-bound last Fall Break. Students got an insider’s look into Mexican business practices while they enjoyed expanding their cultural horizons.

“You won’t get the opportunity to travel to Mexico, see the things that you see, meet the people you meet, and experience life in another country in the way that you do with this trip,” participant Marcus Hughes said. Students delved into all the layers of Mexico – the breathtaking waterfalls and caves of Monterrey, the third largest city in Mexico, the reality of the “sweat shop” myth and the “fiestas” of the South.

This semiannual four-day trip was designed and coordinated by Dr. Wolfgang Hinck, assistant professor of management and marketing.

“I’ve had students who have never been outside of Shreveport-Bossier,” Hinck said. “I had to do something for them.” The trip’s cost was $120 per participant, who were chosen on a first-come-first-served basis.

Hinck and Dr. Tim Shaughnessy, assistant professor of economics and finance, drove the seven students in a 15-passenger van to Edinburg and McAllen in South Texas, and to Reynosa and Monterrey, Mexico. After an 11-hour ride to South Texas, the group stayed with various host families in McAllen. The next day the group received a private presentation at the University of Texas-Pan American – where Hinck earned his Ph.D. – and then were the honored guests at an international barbeque.

For the rest of the trip, the students explored Mexico. “The most interesting part of our trip was our visit to the maquiladoras,” LSUS alumna (MBA ’03) Hilary Maglothin said. The group visited two maquiladoras – foreign production facilities – in Northern Mexico, one owned by Maytag, the other by Eaton. “The factories were amazingly clean and well run,” Maglothin said. “It was a far cry from the ‘sweat-shop’ experience I was expecting.” Students said one of the maquiladoras offered benefits such as free on-site health screening for employees’ families and programs to send their families to school.

“The best part of the trip, however, was the visit to the waterfall,” senior accounting major Renee Korb said. “It was amazing to see such a powerful force of nature.”

While in downtown Monterrey, the LSUS students walked through a cave and went shopping. “The people we encountered in Mexico were very friendly and family oriented,” Maglothin said.

On the ride back to Shreveport, rain poured down on the travelers. The streets of South Texas flooded with more than four feet of water, making the trip four hours longer than expected. “It was an experience … I will always remember,” senior Spanish major Stacie Leigh Pettiet said.

Hinck will lead another group to Mexico next fall break and a trip to Germany in May. In a partnership between LSUS and Fachhochschule Nordostniedersachsen – University of Applied Science – in Lüneburg, Germany, students can earn three credit hours while studying European business. Lasting four weeks, the trip was developed by Hinck to expand the international culture of LSUS students. Students live with host families, go to class and visit cities such as Berlin and Hamburg.

Hinck is in the process of organizing student trips to Russia, Lebanon and Finland. For information on trips to Mexico and Germany, contact whinck@lsus.edu.

(* - Mexico was Marvelous!)