FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 16, 2009

Baton Rouge Native Uses Educational Experience to Win Post-Recession Battle

ST. LOUIS, July 16, 2009 – Concern by the Louisiana Economic Development Department this week that the state may be slow to bounce back and grow from the current recession piqued Sarah Trufant’s interest but not her concern.  The Baton Rouge native has spent the past year earning her Global MBA at Webster University while living in five international cities.  She knows the answer to post-recession success is looking beyond the Bayou for opportunities to grow, not only for herself but for any company where she works.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past year, mainly that the world is large and I want to explore it,” says Trufant. “Being in Webster’s Global MBA program has really taught me how to analyze, fit in and adopt the norms of any culture I’m in.” 

The newfound expertise of the cultural business world Trufant has gained will allow her to help any future employer expanding into the international marketplace.  Trufant, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, will graduate with her master’s in business administration at a ceremony this July in Budapest, Hungary.   Her international immersion of culture and education started 11 months ago with a semester of study at Webster’s campus in Geneva, Switzerland.  She and fellow cohort members also lived and learned in nine-week terms at Webster campuses in The Netherlands, London, China and Vienna. 

Trufant calls the year an experience of a lifetime and says it has given her a better understanding of her strength at managing others, her ability to work under any international condition and her drive to grow a company through her skills at project management.  The only question left for this Louisiana native is where in the world will she go next?   

“I want to work all over with a job that challenges me in moving markets,” Trufant says.  “I want to offer my educational experience to nurture a company that is ready to really thrive on an international scale.”

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is a worldwide institution committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence. Founded in 1915, Webster offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through five schools and colleges, and a global network of more than 100 campuses. Its 20,000-plus student population represents almost 150 nationalities. The University’s core values include excellence in teaching, joining theory and practice, small class sizes, and educating students to be lifelong independent learners, fully prepared to participate in an increasingly international society.

Since opening its first campus overseas in Geneva in 1978, Webster has become a recognized leader and innovator in global education, with an international presence that now includes campuses in London; Vienna; Amsterdam and Leiden, the Netherlands; Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu, China; and Bangkok and Cha-am, Thailand. Webster also has educational partnerships with universities in Mexico and Japan.

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A video profiling Sarah Trufant is available at www.webster.edu/sbt/sarahtrufant.  To interview Ms. Trufant please contact Susan Kerth in Webster’s Office of Public Affairs (susankerth14@webster.edu).  More on Webster University’s Global MBA program can be found at www.webster.edu/globalmba.