Dekira Wilkerson ’28 is in the habit of meeting timelines and goals, which she applies daily as a Gate Scholar with an eye on law school. Tapping into her organizational skills, Dekira set up her study abroad experience to meet the requirement for her international business major — and returned with the memories of a lifetime.
Based in London, she studied with a cohort from different areas of the United States. Also an accounting major, Dekira says one of her favorite courses challenged students to analyze the financial reports of TESCO (a multi-national groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the UK).
“I used different accounting equations and all of the information gathered to complete an investment recommendation for the company,” she says.
After hitting the books, Dekira made the most of road trips to England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, France, Italy and Malta. The Berry Stories team caught up with Dekira — now busy as the operations manager in the president’s office — to get her six rules for the road.
Rule 1: Inform your campus employer of your travels. “Before I left, I worked with my supervisor to keep my job when I returned to Berry.”
Rule 2: Plan ahead. “Make a list of activities or events that you’d like to take part in.”
Rule 3: Travel light on weekends away. “Make sure your carry-on will fit the regulation size for each airline you use.”
Rule 4: Try something new. “One of the coolest things I got to do was attend my first Premier League football game at London Stadium. While in Paris, I saw the Eiffel Tower!”
Rule 5: Explore the city where you’re based. “I am so happy that I took the time to wander around, enjoying different cultures. In south London, where most Caribbean immigrants are, I had the best Jamaican food of my life. When I went to Chinatown, I had the most delicious Asian food.”
Rule 6: Embrace your independence. “The thought of being solo in a foreign place was scary. But in the end, I found confidence in myself that will help me thrive in the future.”
Dekira's Weekend Snapshots
Interested in study abroad? Talk to Berry’s international experiences office.
