“For students wanting to enter the business world, BYU’s international relations program offers a solid and versatile education,” according to Stan Larson, vice president of sales at Del Costa Cheese. “A broad understanding of cultures, economies, and political environments are absolutely necessary to be successful in business or political endeavors whether in Johannesburg, Paris, or Los Angeles.”
Having graduated in 1988 in international relations, Larson began his career in business as an analyst for Nabisco Foods in the San Francisco Bay Area. By 1995, he was serving as the national merchandising manager for Nabisco located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He later assumed a marketing role in East Hanover, New Jersey, working for the Planters Nut Company. His career path then took him back into sales in the western U.S. Through a merger, Larson joined Kraft Foods as a national account executive. During this time, he completed his master’s degree in organizational management (University of Phoenix, 2001). He recently accepted the position at Del Costa Cheese, based in Pleasanton, California.
“International relations was, for me, a lesson in global economics. I learned that everything, every action, every event in the world interacts with everything else for good or for bad, depending on your perspective. The broad IR curriculum allowed me to pull together everything from international economics to urban geography to business management to political science as I formed my impression of the world that I would soon jump into when I left BYU,” said Larson.