BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — 8 business students from CSUB put the school on the map internationally by traveling to the Paris: School of Business.

Former District Attorney, Dr. H. Dennis Beaver and his wife has supported universities for 40 years of funding educational opportunities for students

A selected group of business students from CSUB were awarded scholarships to study abroad for two weeks and was provided by a public figure from Kern County.

RELATED TO: Paris study trip empowers CSUB business students through unique scholarship program

The students traveled to Paris as part of a scholarship program newly offered at the university to enhance their personal and professional growth in the business world.

Eyewitness News sat down with the recipients of the award and the man who views the investment as a long-term benefit rather than a gamble.

“It’s important to see new perspectives, and not only being in France but you get to meet new people,” said CSUB Accounting student, Miriam Pantoja. “And I feel like they also bring new perspectives that we might not be exposed to, so it’s very important.”

Eight Business students at Cal State Bakersfield returned for their spring semester following a two-week business course at the Paris: School of Business.

“I think it’s a very important experience and me personally,” said Pantoja. “I’m in accounting but I still think its important to have a wider view of business in general. Not just close yourself to one certain thing.”

“It meant just a new door being open to me and being able to experience something so new, and just being able to see a whole new world honestly,” said CSUB Business Administration, Marketing student, Joelyne Tocao.

Through the generosity of former Kern County District Attorney and Attorney at Law, Dr. H. Dennis Beaver and his wife, Ann, financed 8 scholarships and awarded CSUB Business students to study abroad.

“Keep it in mind of what you have become because of this experience,” said Dr. Beaver. “How more secure you are in yourself. You did it, and before gone, many of them will admit, I was afraid. I couldn’t really do this, and all of a sudden, after a few days, wow, I can.”

Students say that they represented CSUB internationally, and this course only enhanced their capabilities.

“I’m also learning French independently,” said CSUB Business Administration, Marketing, French, Communications student, Francisco Garcia. “So, being able to kind of like immerse myself in the French culture was very, very fun. I feel like just going not just for like personal reasons but also academic ones was really, I’d say really good for myself when it comes to you know future employment opportunities.”

“Being from Kern County, you’re so like closed minded to what you already know, and I feel like it’s important,” said Pantoja. “Like every now and then, take a step back and like see what’s going on outside and what you’re used to.”

“I feel like I can share and spread not only through like my education, but through professional like environments,” said CSUB Business Management, Human Resources student, Vaness Martin. “That I can share what it’s really like to have that cultural experience professionally with people from outside of this country, and bring in some maybe fresh ideas.”

Business Administration and Marketing major student, Joelyne Tocao recalls when she opened the acceptance email.

“It was like a dream come true,” said Tocao. “Like if I’m like crying about it because literally when I opened that email, I literally like like literally cried and like tears of joy, like oh my god, this is real.”

Dr. Beaver says that Bakersfield has a long linguistic French history. Supporting CSUB students can help enhance their careers.

“What we need to do to support programs like this, and I think it’s important to realize that the faculty at CSUB, the business faculty who support this, dedicate their time to it,” said Dr. Beaver. “They’re the ones who do the heavy lifting.”

Of those, CSUB French Professor, Lena Taub, says that many of their students are Spanish speakers, and how useful speaking Spanish is for learning French.

“In many industries, French is very necessary,” said CSUB French Professor, Lena Taub. “There’s many companies that will recruit students here, you know, and future employees. And having French in Canada, in Franco-Canado countries all over the world, so I think it can be beneficial to give them a little extra jeune sequoia, or lack of a better term, right? They’ll have something special that sets them apart from other students that don’t speak French.”

If you are a CSUB Business student and would like to learn more about the program, click here.