India Up Close

by Valerie Figueroa

At 3 a.m., just hours after landing in Hyderabad, India, a group of Texas State University students stepped into one of the business cities in the world. They were jet-lagged, slightly disoriented, and immediately met with a pace of life unlike anything they had experienced before.

For students in the Dick Burdick Dean’s Leadership Academy (DLA), that moment set the tone for a 10-day immersive experience that would go beyond a typical study abroad trip. The program’s first international excursion — which was funded through the Emerson Global Scholars endowment — brought a cohort of 15 top McCoy College of Business juniors and seniors to Hyderabad and New Delhi for a mix of corporate tours, cultural exposure, and learning about one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

“My first impression, just getting out of the airport, was that it was very busy,” says Jude Kessler, a marketing and honors student. “There’s a lot going on. It’s almost like a beehive.”

That initial impression of frenzied motion — crowded streets, constant motion, and a pace that didn’t slow — became a rhythm. Students began to see how that high energy translated into productivity, innovation, and a deeply ingrained work ethic that shapes daily life and business culture in India.

The cohort, led by Dr. Sanjay Ramchander, dean of McCoy College, and Dr. Seth Frei, assistant dean and chief of staff at the college, visited organizations ranging from multinational corporations such as Salesforce and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories — which supplies a large portion of the United States’ generic pharmaceuticals — to mission-driven enterprises such as Goonj, a Delhi-based nonprofit that repurposes urban surplus materials such as donated clothing to support underserved communities. The locations intentionally exposed students to the scale of global business within India and the localized impact of social innovation.

During a visit to LV Prasad Eye Institute, a comprehensive eye health facility and World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Prevention of Blindness, students observed a tiered payment model in which patients who couldn’t afford care were able to receive it, despite economic circumstances at either a discounted rate or free and patients who could afford treatment helped subsidize care for those who could not.

“I think they're a very collaborative culture in a way that we don't have here,” says Kessler. “It's less pull yourself up by your bootstraps and more of a willingness to extend the hand to people."

At T-Hub, the world’s largest startup hub, students experienced firsthand how emerging startups operate within collaborative environments that promote resource sharing.

“It was an unimaginable opportunity to be exposed to international businesses,” says Imoya Lovelady, a marketing student preparing to pursue an MBA in international business at McCoy College.

The experience made some students realize that global business isn’t distant or abstract and that it’s impacting the U.S. economy in ways many hadn’t considered before. For example, students learned that nearly half (approximately 47%) of the U.S.’s generic pharmaceutical supply is actually produced in India, which shifted how they thought about supply chains and just how dependent the global system really is.

“I assumed that the U.S. produced its own pharmaceuticals,” she says. “They told us [the U.S.] can't have over-the-counter prescription drugs or generics without India. So having that perspective and seeing the marketing that played a big role in global pharmaceuticals helped.”

Frei emphasizes that global leadership requires more than technical knowledge. It demands adaptability, cultural awareness, and the ability to engage meaningfully despite differences.

“Anytime we take students outside of the classroom to a location that is significantly different than what we experience here in the U.S., it gives them an opportunity to expand their world view and their understanding of how business and commerce happen around the world,” Frei says.

That learning carried over into communication, too. Throughout the trip, students engaged directly with executives, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, building confidence in asking strong questions and in navigating conversations across different cultural settings.

“They did an excellent job of asking questions and interacting,” Frei says. “I think it's all these interactions, whether small or large, whether more formal or as a part of the program, or more informal interactions outside the actual scope of the program. That helped round out a student's ability to interact and communicate with people from around the world.”

By the end of the trip, students felt the experience's impact both professionally and personally. Students who once saw their careers through a primarily domestic lens began to consider the possibilities in a global economy.

“It has ignited a desire in me,” says Kessler. “I want to be a global citizen. I want to work abroad for at least a year or two. Before this, I don't know that I would have seen the importance in that, but now I don't think I'd be able to do my career without going international at some point.”

Some of the students' most memorable moments were rooted in the cultural immersion. From exploring the stalls at the Charminar bazaar — a busy, historic market surrounding the 1591 Charminar monument — to sharing meals and learning about traditional customs, students encountered a culturally unfamiliar yet inviting environment. Lovelady describes gaining a new perspective on food and connection through cultural practices such as eating with her hands.

“They explained to us how sacred it is to share a meal with someone and the level of comfort that you have when using your hands,” she says. “It's rooted in religious sentiment about having that connection and engaging with the blessing of being able to consume food, because not everybody has this opportunity.”

Experiences like visiting the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort gave students a deeper sense of history and a better understanding of the cultural influences that shape both people and markets. Lovelady says understanding the true love story behind them deepened her appreciation for their beauty, making it an unforgettable experience.

“It’s hard to explain because it's such an intense emotion, being able to see that wonder of the world and learn the history behind it,” she says. “When you go there, and you see how intricate the details are — all the symmetry, all the beauty of Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal — it's a feeling. You feel it in your heart.”

Kessler says he was struck by the depth of passion he encountered all around him.

“People in India feel so passionately about life, about the music, the meals that they share with each other, and the clothes they wear,” he says. “Everything is so big, extravagant, and colorful.”

For Lovelady, the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she says, that may not have been possible outside of Dick Burdick's DLA.

“I definitely got a very unique experience that I don't feel can be easily replicated,” she says.

As McCoy College looks ahead, the success of the inaugural trip is already evident. What began as a philanthropic investment in global exposure has quickly become a defining experience that expands how students think, where they see opportunity, and how they prepare to lead as citizens of the world.

“This was a landmark moment,” says Frei. “There were some challenges along the way, but overall, students had an excellent opportunity to experience a culture that none of them expected to encounter a year ago. They were able to develop strong business connections, but also, most importantly, strong personal connections with each other within the network they built among this group of 15.”

For many in the cohort, the trip reframed their understanding of the world and their place in it.✯