A pair of Abertay University students have enjoyed an “amazing” journey after landing internships in Bangladesh.
Stefan Cameron and Euan Lumsden spent time working at Bangladeshi finance company Mutual Trust Bank but they made sure to enjoy a taste of what the country has to offer.
They were in the South Asian country for just over three weeks, from July 20 to August 13.
It was made possible through donations from the bank’s chairman, and Abertay alumni, Abdur Rouf. Mr Rouf is also an allumni of Santander Universities.
He said: “It was important to me as a proud Scottish-Bangladeshi to bring these interns to my birth country to witness first-hand its extraordinary economic and social development.
“Their eyes were opened in such a positive way and I couldn’t have been happier.”
Stefan and Euan spent time in the firm’s head office, worked at two different branches, and found out about a low-interest loan scheme the bank has launched to help female entrepreneurs.”
Outside the workplace they had the chance to learn about the country’s culture, participating in a number of events and tours.
This included seeing the National Martyr’s Monument in Savar and taking part in the Mutual Trust Bank’s Football Carnival.
The Football Carnival is an annual competition that Mutual Trust Bank organise for its employees, with different departments competing against one another. Stefan and Euan attended as guests of honour.
Euan said: “The internship took me out of my comfort zone and gave me the chance to explore a completely different way of life.
“It’s allowed me to spend time in a professional environment, and it also gave me the chance to visit a new part of the world and experience a different culture and way of life.”
Stefan said: “I had a truly amazing time and the memories will stay with me forever. The internship was meaningful not only from a business and career perspective, but also on a personal level.
“The people of Bangladesh were a real stand-out to me. They couldn’t have been more welcoming.”
Nazhat Ahmed, development officer at Abertay University said: “Internships like this provide students with invaluable experience and skills, and clearly Stefan and Euan have left Bangladesh with fantastic memories.
“We’d like to thank Abdur Rouf and Santander Universities for making this possible.”
