One of the Most Spectacular Days…ever.

After some back and forth coordination events, all of us Buckeyes in Hong Kong left UST on the Friday before finals at around 12pm to head into town to visit Debbi at Mast Industries/Limited Brands!

We got to the office about 30 minutes early so the gang decided to grab a bite to eat in the nearby mall (malls are always nearby). We returned to the office post brunch, signed in and waited for Debbi to come out and lead us in.
We entered the back office and absolutely astonished to see the behind the scenes activity of Limited Brands (i.e. Victoria’s Secret, Chicos, Lane Bryant, Pac Sun, etc etc). We went into Debbi’s office and she gave us the overall run down of what she does, answered our questions, and then showed us around the office. We saw all of the sections of VS, and then headed to different floors so she could show us all of the other divisions. She walked us around into the design office and told us about the multitude of components in bras. And the fact that each bra is engineered and reengineered to do exactly what its supposed to do. Who knew that it was such an art?

After about an hour or so, we went downstairs to meet Bob, Dennis (an OSU grad), and a man from A&L Logistics (a third party logistics firm) so that we could continue our adventure to the Port. He took us by van to the Port where we went on a tour of the port. Halfway through the tour, we were able to get out of the tour bus to take pictures and take in the scenery. We got back on the bus and the guide answered our questions and then we proceeded to go into the warehousing area where we met another OSU grad (they are everywhere!) and she showed us around the warehouse and explained exactly what was going on.

I can’t believe that we were given the opportunity for these site visits. I can’t express my gratitude to Debbi for organizing all of this. These visits truly made this study abroad experience come full circle and really drive home the exact reason why I went to experience a whole new culture, area, life.

After we finished up, we went out for drinks with Bob and Dennis in Soho. We sat around talking about corporate culture, Hong Kong life, our study abroad experiences, UST and so much more. It was definitely one of the best conversations I had had in a long time. I learned so much just by listening. It was also nice to spend some time with my Evan, Lilian, Diana and Kyle. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time with most of them this semester so it was nice to do so before we all headed back.

We shot the breeze for a good while and then Debbi came by and we started talking to her about the Port visit and of what a great time we had. We thanked her profusely and continued to talk about Limited Brands, interviewing, internships and of the private investigating that companies do before they hire their employees.
After some time we decided to go down a little ways in Soho and eat at El Taco Loco. We talked about everything under the sun from how Debbi and Bob met to where she worked in between working at Limited Brands to how Dennis got started at Limited Brands, etc. They asked about what I liked to do and what I wanted to do with my life. After a good conversation with Bob, he asked if I had ever thought about going into teaching.. and I told them that I have considered it and I hope to get into teaching after I experience the world and feel as though I actually have some valuable experiences to share.

Dinner came and went and we moved our conversation to another bar and sat outside. Diana, Lily and I talked to Debbi while Evan, Dennis and Bob talked elsewhere. We talked to Debbi about a whole lot and she shared that after briefly talking with each us at the OSU-Michigan game, she had felt like we were special and that she wanted to share with us an experience that we would value so much. She said that she felt as though we would all succeed in life. We talked about how to go about marketing ourselves in interviews and to make sure that we remain as we are and make sure that we always remain humble and introspective about life and how we can better ourselves.

Debbi is such a great inspiration and such a wonderful lady! Even though she remains in such a high position, she remains down to earth and a wonderful leader. I can only hope that I can be half as great of a leader. We were walking around the office and while talking to Dennis, I just got a feeling about just how well loved she is at that company. Truly fantastic.

Special thanks to Debbi and Bob on bringing this experience full circle.