Julia Wang
Wharton’29
BEPP x OIDD Concentrations
PGS: Tourism and Sustainability in Bali
GRIP: Business Development in Singapore
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- Getting to know my PGS cohort extremely well, versus embracing solo exploration and self-reflection during GRIP two weeks later
- living and traveling alone abroad for the first time
- doing my first in-person internship at Vogue Singapore
- reconnecting with my mother tongue (but in a different dialect!) in Singapore
My Experience Abroad
My academic and professional interests center on the intersection of art, business, and public policy.
I first explored these interests through PGS: Tourism and Sustainability in Bali (Spring 2026), where I examined the opportunities and challenges of cultural tourism. I was extremely interested in how local art and culture are commercialized: What is gained? What is lost? Is it sustainable? For my White Paper, I researched ongoing reforms to Indonesia’s intellectual property system and the role of law and public institutions in protecting intangible cultural heritage.
While PGS emphasized research, GRIP: Business Development in Singapore (Summer 2026) allowed me to explore the intersection of art and business in a professional setting. I applied with the intention of working in either a creative industry or a government agency, and was incredibly grateful to experience the former: I spent two months interning at Vogue Singapore in a Marketing and Design role! Collaborating with an exceptionally multidisciplinary and internationally diverse team, translating creativity into tangible engagement, marketing a legacy brand – it was lifechanging. It was interesting, also, to contrast the Asian industry to company visits during WIEP: The Los Angeles Arts, Media, and Entertainment Sectors (Spring 2026).
PGS and GRIP (and WIEP!) have expanded my perspective tenfold on how art, commerce, culture, and policy intersect in a global context. I am definitely inspired me to pursue more international opportunities in the future.
Other Highlights
- PGS: Receiving a personal tour of the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) from its founder, Agung Rai. As he walked us through the galleries, he explained the history and meaning behind individual works, shared stories of building the museum from the ground up (pointed to a towering tree outside and recalled planting it over 30 years ago!), and detailed his lifelong career as a cultural advocate, artist, and collector.
- PGS: Staying up late talking with fellow students before watching the sunrise together on our final morning in Bali. It was the perfect conclusion to an unforgettable week.
- GRIP: Getting to know the incredibly diverse cohort of 80+ students from around the world. From a rising senior who had visited more than 50 countries, to graduate students from Europe, to my wonderful roommate from Tennessee, to fellow Penn students, every conversation taught me something new!
