International Student Shoots for Global Success

PROVO, Utah – Oct 08, 2018 – What do Portuguese, Japanese, and English have in common? They are each a language that Gregory Shibuta speaks.

Shibuta, a strategy senior from Brazil, grew up with a rich cultural background. His father founded a language school in Brazil, so different languages and cultures surrounded Shibuta for as long as he can remember. He learned his three languages from a young age and expanded his Japanese skills when he served a two year LDS mission in Japan, which he hopes will give him a leg up in his future career. He plans to use his diverse knowledge to lead in the international business world.

“Even though the world is becoming increasingly connected every day, there are still particularities about each area of the map that you can’t ignore if you want to work well with people from those areas,” Shibuta says. “The more you know about how people see the world, the more you can help them reach their ideal version of it.”

Growing up in Brazil, Shibuta didn’t plan on studying in the United States. His dad planted the idea in his head when he graduated, and correspondence with a beautiful girl in America—his future wife—helped the thought grow and ultimately convinced him to make the move.

When he arrived in the states, Shibuta first studied management at LDS Business College before transferring to BYU. He is now a senior majoring in strategy and minoring in Japanese and is heavily involved in campus clubs, which gives him varied experiences in unique settings. These experiences interacting with different people in diverse situations shape Shibuta’s business skills, which he hopes will give him a leg up in the business world.

“Leadership is less about specializing in something and more about interacting with and influencing people,” Shibuta says. “I want to learn as much as I can, and I definitely try to hone technical skills like economics or software, but I also try to develop my people skills as much as possible.”

Shibuta also has a broad range of experience with past internships in both Brazil and the United States. His favorite experience so far is his current job as a customer success intern at Lucid because of its autonomous atmosphere that gives him the freedom to innovate and complete his work in his own way. His job has also given him opportunities to work on teams and be a leader.

“If each team member can see how their role will help accomplish the team’s goal,” Shibuta says. “And if they can see how they will learn and develop as an individual, they will be more motivated. The team as a whole will be more successful.”

Shibuta plans to go back to Japan after he graduates to spend a few years working there and getting more experience with international business. Then he plans to return to the United States to finish his career and raise a family.

“BYU Marriott provides me with many opportunities to network and learn from fantastic people,” Shibuta says. “I am learning the skills necessary to be a strong worker and leader, and the strategy program specifically will help me reach my ambitions by giving me the management abilities I need.”