Student Feature – Olivia Offringa

Olivia is all about crossing borders, whether travelling internationally or within a company.

Pursuing a language minor in Mandarin, Olivia is passionate about world travel, people, and cultures. According to Olivia, understanding cultures and world history are increasingly important in the business world. As companies globalize, clear communication across borders is vital to success. In Spring 2015, Olivia will spend two months in China to exercise her Mandarin and fuel her passion for understanding other cultures.

As a sales intern at Occidental Chemical Corporation during Summer 2014, Olivia crossed borders of a different kind as she set up meetings with managers of other departments. To increase her company network and find ways the sales department could help other departments, Olivia simply crossed the border from sales into other parts of the company, so she might meet other business leaders, have productive conversations, and create value for OXY.