Anna Pfefferle with her Global Seminar classmates.
Pfefferle Makes Most Of Summer Break
July 24, 2017 | Volleyball
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By: Kate Irvin, Digital Media Student Assistant
Colorado senior middle blocker Anna Pfefferle can be summed up on the court with one word: determined. The 6-foot-2 three-year starter has always been an important presence in the middle for the Buffs volleyball team and her determination to be the best on and off the court does not go unnoticed.
The Minnesota native is not only determined to be dominant on the court, leading the Buffs in blocks in nine matches during her junior 2016 season, but she is also determined to ace the business world. Pfefferle is a management major with an emphasis in operations; at the end of this past fall semester she was presented an opportunity she just couldn't refuse: a chance to spend two and a half weeks in China, Pfefferle traveled to Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Macau, to participate in a global seminar focused on international operations management through the CU business school. Anna in front of the Big Buddha
"I have really wanted to study abroad but because we have practice pretty much all year round for volleyball and I didn't think it would be possible," said Pfefferle. "I was also able to get three class credits for the program which means I didn't have to take another summer class which was awesome."
The program gave Pfefferle the opportunity to visit a lot of different companies, some local and global, and have conversations with the owners or the operation managers of the companies. She was able to see multiple levels of the production process and experience them firsthand; the company's headquarters were usually located in Hong Kong and the factories where the products were actually produced were primarily located in Shenzhen.
"It was super interesting to see how products that we use every day, such as headphones, are manufactured from start to finish, as well as how branches of global companies are run so differently in Asia than they would be here."
Although the weeks spent in China were centered on learning about international operations management there was still time for Pfefferle and her classmates to have some time and learn more about the Chinese culture that constantly surrounded them.
Pfefferle was able to visit the "Big Buddha", the huge Buddha statue apart of a Buddhist temple located just outside of Hong Kong, and learn more about the practice of Buddhism. She also had the opportunity to take a tram up to the top of Victoria Peak and once she reached the top she was able to see all of Hong Kong.
She was able to take in all of the sights and sounds of the cities in China that she visited, and she found the cities to be unlike anything she had experienced these previously in the United States. A typical street in Hong Kong
"There wasn't as much culture shock as I thought there would be," added Pfefferle. "However, it (Hong Kong) is so overpopulated that it could be a bit overwhelming at times."
Shenzhen, she said, may have presented the most stark contrast to American cities. "It was a bit more eye-opening in terms of the drastic differences between food, housing and overall quality of life compared to living in Boulder."
This once in a lifetime experience was very rewarding for Pfefferle and directly relates to what she wants to do in the future. She hopes to have a career in operations management one day; through this trip she has been able to gain experience that will only help her reach that goal and help her be ready to make an impact in the business world when the opportunity presents itself.
