Students in Penn State Schuylkill’s MGMT 345: Cultural Intelligence in Leadership and Management recently expanded their learning beyond the classroom, traveling to Denmark and Sweden as part of the course’s international embedded travel component.
The course, taught by Gina C. Whalen, associate teaching professor of business, brought together students from Penn State Schuylkill, University Park and World Campus for a weeklong experience focused on cultural exploration and global leadership.
Ron Kelly, associate professor and program coordinator of criminal justice, played a key role in planning and leading the trip. Whalen noted that Kelly’s contributions were instrumental to the trip’s success.
“His support was essential in making the trip such a positive experience for the students,” she said.
Whalen said Copenhagen was selected as the destination because of its unique combination of history, sustainability and innovation.
“Copenhagen is a great place for this course because it blends history, sustainability, innovation and strong cultural identity,” she said. “Students can see how cultural values influence everything from city design to environmental policy.”
Throughout the week, students engaged in faculty-led tours and experiential learning opportunities designed to connect course concepts with real-world environments. In Copenhagen, students explored the city’s history, architecture and sustainability efforts, visiting neighborhoods such as Christianshavn and Freetown Christiania. The visit to Christiania, known for its alternative social structure, prompted discussions about culture, identity and governance.
Whalen said moments like the visit to Freetown Christiania demonstrated how students were able to connect academic concepts with real-world observations.
“You could see them making connections between what they studied in the course and what they were observing around them,” she said.
Students also visited notable landmarks including the Little Mermaid statue, Kastellet, a preserved 17th-century fortress, and the Black Diamond library, gaining insight into the city’s blend of historic tradition and modern design.
Additional experiences included a visit to CopenHill, an innovative waste-to-energy plant that doubles as a recreational space, a guided canal cruise through the city’s harbor and a trip to Roskilde to explore the Viking Ship Museum. The group also toured royal landmarks such as Christiansborg Palace and Rosenborg Castle.
The trip extended beyond Denmark with a visit to Malmö, where students explored Malmöhus Castle and experienced Swedish culture firsthand.
For many students, the experience provided a deeper understanding of cultural intelligence that could not be replicated in a traditional classroom setting.
Aidan Stellfox, a first-year accounting major at Penn State Schuylkill, said the trip helped him better understand course concepts by seeing them in action.
“It helped take off the ‘lenses,’” Stellfox said. “Instead of just reading about different cultures, we were able to experience them firsthand.”
He noted that observing Denmark’s high-trust society stood out as a key learning moment.
“In Denmark, bikes are often parked without locks, and everything was very clean,” Stellfox said. “It showed how trust and shared responsibility shape how people interact in public spaces.”
Whalen said she hopes students left the experience with a broader understanding of how culture influences leadership, communication and decision-making.
“Cultural intelligence is such an important skill in today’s workplace,” she said. “Experiences like this help students become more thoughtful and adaptable leaders.”
As organizations continue to operate across cultures and borders, Whalen emphasized the importance of preparing students for a global workforce.
“When students see how people live, work and communicate in another culture, it helps them become more aware and confident navigating different environments,” she said.
For students like Stellfox, the experience was both educational and transformative.
“It’s a fun trip,” he said. “Don’t limit yourself — it’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.”