Katie Muller '27, a junior outfielder for Lebanon Valley College's softball team, studied abroad in Maastricht, Netherlands, as part of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about international business last summer.
"The four-week program studying abroad at Maastricht University was a fantastic experience for me from a personal and educational standpoint," Muller said. "The learning process is truly immersive; we learned just as much from traveling as we did inside the classroom. Maastricht is a beautiful city filled with deep history and culture, and it was a great place to serve as the hub of our trip."
Muller, a Business Administration and Marketing double major, completed an Intercultural Communications class taught by a professor at Maastricht University and a Business in the European Union (EU) course taught by Dr. Treva Clark, a Professor of Business from LVC. Muller and the class visited various businesses, including touring a rubber recycling plant and a bicycle factory. She aspires to work as a Marketing Analyst and use her experience studying abroad to create international marketing campaigns.
"Studying abroad helped me understand the in-depth process by which companies transition from a domestic to an international market," Muller said. "I became more conscious of differences in government policies and practices and their heavy impact on the business realm."
In addition to studying, Muller traveled every weekend to different countries. The Netherlands' central location allowed her to easily take trips to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Northern Italy. Muller also visited several museums in the Netherlands and Belgium during her four weeks abroad.
"Meeting new people, trying new food, and learning different cultural norms were great learning experiences," Muller said. "Adjusting to the slower-paced European lifestyle was foreign to me and took time to adapt to, but it became something I deeply appreciated and learned to love."
Muller left to study in the Netherlands after putting together a strong regular season for Dutchmen Softball, which went on to win the conference and compete in the NCAAs. The outfielder recorded a .345 batting average and a .400 on-base percentage with 19 hits, five walks, and seven RBIs. Muller said she is looking forward to beginning the 2026 season and helping Lebanon Valley return to the top of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom.
"Our team is going for a third consecutive MAC Freedom Championship and another appearance at NCAA Regionals this year," Muller said. "I'm excited to continue working hard to prepare for spring and strengthen my friendships with teammates. We have a really strong bond as a team this year, and I'm very excited to see how we mesh and perform together."
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