Twins Travel to Study Business and Culture in Germany

While studying abroad in Germany this fall, twins Kyle and Ryan Eaton ’20 realized how important digital communications and language skills are in learning across disciplines.

Kyle and Ryan share a passion for travel, business, and German culture. During their three months in Berlin, they lived with a host family, attended classes during the day, and spent their free time exploring the city and nearby countries.

“I was inspired to study abroad because I wanted to see and do new things,” Ryan said. “Everyone I talked to who had studied abroad in the past had an amazing experience, and I wanted to see what they were talking about.”

The Eatons’ fall classes included an eight-credit German course along with two business courses, European Business Culture and Green Business, the latter of which focuses on industries with environmentally-friendly initiatives. Ryan is looking forward to learning more about these “green” industries and possibly one day working alongside a company conscious of their carbon footprint.

The lessons they learned in their Lebanon Valley College digital communications courses proved valuable for their trip. “The skills I learned in DigiCOM are so practical and transferable and can be applied to different classes and situations,” Ryan said. 

In Green Business, the brothers used knowledge from past classes.

“We did case studies on companies such as Patagonia,” Ryan said. “We had to create our own business model and used the canvas business model from Dr. [Joel] Kline’s class. I was able to take lead in my group, and we won ‘Best Business Model’ in class.” 

Outside of class, the twins ventured from Berlin to Hamburg and Munich as well as other locations across Europe. During a week in Italy, they visited Rome, Florence, Assisi, Perugia, and Pisa.

Being in the midst of many new places left Kyle and Ryan having to communicate and interact with classmates, peers, and other travelers. They quickly became immersed with the German language. “My German speaking abilities have gotten a ton better, and it is probably because we had German class three hours every day,” said Kyle.

Upon arrival back in Pennsylvania, and more particularly, Lebanon Valley’s campus, the twins are looking forward to jumping back into courses in their major again.

“My favorite thing about DigiCOM is the opportunity to be creative,” Kyle said. “Being in Germany and taking business classes has made me realize how much I also enjoy creative and artistic projects.”

 

- Sierra Force, LVC Marketing & Communications Student Assistant