PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

Exploring Global Supply Chains
Through the Panama Canal:

An international experiential learning program with Michigan State University

The “Global Supply Chains and the Panama Canal” program took students through several cities, diving deep into the intersection of global logistics, local culture, and economic development. In this article we delve into this incredible international learning experience, with a testimonial from Duy Nguyen, one of the participating students!

Understanding Panama’s Strategic Role

Throughout the program, students gained understanding of the Panama Canal’s strategic importance — not only for the country but for global trade. Through technical visits and discussions with industry professionals, they explored key topics such as warehousing, intermodal transportation, and third-party logistics — all essential components of efficient global supply chains.

Corporate visits included  companies like EmergentCold, DHL (located in the old Tocumen Airport), and J. Cain, as well as a valuable stop at the Technological University of Panama, where students engaged in exchange with local peers about supply chain practices and challenges in Panama.

"Studying abroad
is not as fun as I expected"

By Duy Nguyen, Supply Chain Management
student at Michigan State University

“I’m originally an international student from Vietnam, studying Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University. I’ve been studying overseas for over 5 years, as I started studying in the States in high school. Therefore, I understood how cool and adventurous the experiences were, but at the same time, I understood how challenging and crazy life can be.

But, life pushed me to sign up for the Panama studying abroad trip.

Obviously, one of the reasons is the Panama Canal. For a lot of supply chain students and professionals, it’s their dream to see the canal in real life. Having signed up for the trip that only took at most 12 students, I knew right away that my dream was going to be fulfilled soon.

At the same time, I knew some Spanish before. I’d learned for a year and a half back in high school, and though I did not feel so confident with my Spanish skills, I still wanted to give it a shot, travel, and practice my Spanish with the locals in Panama. For me, there would be nothing better than being able to “flex” with others that I speak 3 languages (Vietnamese, English, and un poco de Español). And lastly, my two good friends are Panamanian. They both told me that the food was super tasty, the tourist sites were breathtaking, the biking along the Causeway was tiring but worthwhile, and the beaches were spotless.

Well, I thought everything would be fantastic.
But, I regretted taking the trip. Why?

1. It was too fun.

My first three days in Panama were full of traveling. I got to witness the magical and magnificent Panama Canal at the Miraflores Lock, visit the Casco Viejo and had some great boba tea there, ate local cuisine at Diabolicos and El Trapiche (two of the restaurants my friends recommended), took a 3-hour drive to the indigenous island of San Blas, hiked to the top of the National Park, and enjoyed fun time with my friends, my professor and my tour coordinator. It was too fun that when I came back to school, I always reminisced about those amazing experiences to the point where I didn’t feel like going to class but just wanted to take the trip again.

2. My phone died so often.

For the first time in my life, I had to charge my phone three times a day. I used my phone too often to take pictures of the breathtaking scenery, the funny yet memorable moments with my friends, post the photos of the cuisine to “Locket” so my close friends and family can see them, check Google Maps all the time to make sure I knew where to head to, have Google Translate ready whenever my Spanish went on hibernate mode, and a lot more. It was heavy for my phone, but it was worth it.

3. And lastly, it was too meaningful.

The trip wasn’t just about having fun or sightseeing. We also spent time visiting 3 corporations (EmergentCold LATAM, DHL, and JCain) and learned more about how they were operating their supply chain operations in the country that I call the “King of Supply Chain.” We sat down with the companies’ representatives, visited their offices, observed how they functioned in their day-to-day business, and even had the opportunity to see the inside of the cargo airplane. For me, these real-life corporate site visits were so invaluable that I didn’t feel like going back to school and sitting for hours in a lecture.

The trip only lasted for a week, but honestly, the memories will probably last forever in my mind. 

I couldn’t ask for a better experience learning more about the culture, the people, the country, the language, the new friends, the sightseeing, and a lot more.

So, if you’re reading this blog, before signing up to study abroad, make sure you’ve thought about having your phone die midway, not feeling like going back to school, or gaining a few pounds because the local food was too good – because you might regret letting those incidents happening to you.”

From an academic and professional standpoint, Panama stood out as the world’s most iconic supply chain asset — an impressive engineering feat and a true logistics hub. For the students, having direct access to this monumental operation during college was both rare and unforgettable.

Programs like this are at the heart of our commitment to meaningful international education. By connecting theory and practice, culture and market, we create experiences that expand horizons, develop global competencies, and prepare students to lead in multicultural, interconnected environments.

We are very proud of our relationship with Michigan State University and look forward to continuing to support the Spartans family in Latin America! In particular, we would like to thank Professor Justin Jagger for making this learning journey possible!

Our passion for the academic field has given us the privilege of actively collaborating with more than 90 universities, offering professional and extracurricular experience journeys directly impacting more than 5000 students.

START BUILDING AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM

Explore other stories in our blog, "Beyond Expectations"

Written by:

Fernando Oliveira

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