Name: Rebecca Dodd
Hometown: Wirral, England
"I was born in Wirral, England. My family moved to California when I was just 6 months old. Although living in America most of my life I have however grown up with a 100 percent English born family so our traditions and cultures are different to those of my friends. My father works, as the director of steel for General Dynamics NASSCO, a ship building company, my mother is a teachers aid for the local elementary school. I have one sister and one half brother, my half brother lives in England and I only see him about once every two years. My sister and I however are very close, she is only 13 months older to me, and is currently attending the University of Delaware on a swim scholarship. We have both swum competitively for roughly 9 years but I unlike my sister decided that my passion for learning was stronger than my love for swimming."


What inspired you to apply to be part of the Global Entrepreneurship Experience?
I thought it would be a great way to obtain an in depth insight into the world of business. Opening up a wide range of skills and opportunities that will help me in my college experience and will make me a stronger contender in the business world.

What do you hope to get out of the Global Entrepreneurship Experience?
I hope that the Global Entrepreneurship Experience gives me the skills I need to be successful in business while giving me new and more practical ways to take on projects in my future endeavors. I also hope that I can develop connections with other entrepreneurs and companies so when I graduate from UNLV I will have already established ideas, business plans and myself.

What part of the G.E.E. appeals to you the most?
The most appealing part to the Global Entrepreneurship Experience is the range of activities we will be doing. I am excited to make videos, and to be apart of the team activities.

Who inspires you in regards of your future career?
My parents are people that continue to inspire me; they are both passionate and motivated about their chosen careers. The have instilled in me a desire to take on opportunities and challenges throughout my life. My parents are very supportive in my ideas and business plans.

What company or business do you admire the most?
I find Starbucks and similar companies inspiring, starting from small beginning and growing into an international recognized brand name. Understanding that the company cannot stand still and must keep changing to maintain regular customers and to draw in new consumers has allowed this company to grow. This mindset of a simple product, coffee, can be copied to any product or service.

What part of the business world is most appealing to you?
Innovation and ideas to develop and maintain both a established company or a start up enterprise that has yet to make its mark in the business world, thus I find this very appealing.

If you are having a bad day or having trouble with a project, where do you turn for inspiration?
When I am having a bad day I enjoy going for a long and calming walk, a swim in the pool or I give my friends a call for some words of support. Yet when I am having trouble understanding or getting started with a project, a call home always helps me. My family gives me some words of wisdom, and usually the little push I need to get my head back into the project.

If you could have any job, no limitations, what would you do?
I would be the CEO of a large or my own hospitality company that has a world-recognized brand name. I would be driving it forward, through innovation, to allow the company to evolve its products and services to the needs and wants of its consumers.

What have you done (that you can confess to) that you never thought you'd do or be able to do?
I thought it was impossible to swim the 500m freestyle competitively both at school and club competitions. I had never swum that far in a meet and when I was told to swim it, I dreaded the thought. However, once I begun to swim the race I heard the cheers of friends and family pushing me forward. I never thought I would be able to finish the race, but that day of my freshman year changed me, I pushed myself harder than I ever had, and completed the race in a team record time. The lesson I learned that day, was that nothing is impossible, in fact, the thought of something being difficult or out of my reach, challenges and inspired me.