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Safiye Manguoglu, a University of Kansas School of Business spring 2010 graduate from Salina, Kan., spoke with her grandmother for the first time in her life when she studied abroad in Istanbul, Turkey in summer 2007. “She cried because she was so happy,” Manguoglu said.

A scholarship from the KU School of Business’ Institute for International Business helped the first-generation Turkish American get to her father’s native country to study business at Bosphorus University, and reconnect with her familial roots, too.

Carol Rose, director of the IIB, was eager to help Manguoglu achieve her academic and familial dreams in Turkey because she was one of the first students from the School to study abroad there. “Turkey is a very interesting country from an international business standpoint because it is a mixture of Islamic and European cultures,” Rose said.

In addition to studying at, and visiting a place she has always dreamed about, the trip gave Manguoglu a sense of direction. “I was undecided about what I wanted to do before I went abroad, but because of these experiences I now know what I want to do,” she said.

Manguoglu is confident her year-long trip also gave her the worldly experience many employers in the business world seek. “Because of these experiences, if someone would offer me a job anywhere in the world, I would go there in a heartbeat,” she said. “Employers want people who can step out of their comfort zone.”

Following in Manguoglu’s footsteps, several School of Business faculty members will be going to Turkey this summer for a business education program. The School’s IIB coordinates and supports the internationalization of students and faculty, as well as guides the School’s strategy for international initiatives, curriculum and polices.