Real estate students join faculty for seminar in France
Blackwood Department of Real Estate students joined Department Head Dustin Read for the first time to assist his annual weeklong seminar for real estate.
Dustin Read, department head of the Blackwood Department of Real Estate, has traveled to Lyon, France for nearly two decades to teach a course on real estate investments to students enrolled in the ESDES School of Business at Lyon Catholic University. This year, he booked a few extra plane tickets for Virginia Tech students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in real estate from the Pamplin College of Business to join him.
Courtney Begoon, Kaitlyn Dubé, Nathan Herrick, Katie McCullough, Joey Nguyen, and Grace Wagner joined Read and led French students through a case study designed to familiarize them with real estate investment fundamentals. They also taught their French counterparts on topics such as completing a market analysis, underwriting, and building an investment thesis.
“Ever since I started going to France to teach, I’ve thought about how great it would be to bring Virginia Tech students with me to share the experience,” Read said. “I’m so glad it came together this year. The six students who made the trip impressed me every day we were abroad, and I think they walked away with a true appreciation for cross-cultural collaboration.”
Over the course of a week, these Hokies not only sharpened their real estate skills, but also made some new friends.
In the students’ words
“The Blackwood Department of Real Estate never ceases to amaze me with the incredible opportunities it provides. I never imagined I would have the chance to both teach and learn from French students about financing real estate properties. The effort that Dustin Read put into making this experience possible truly shows how dedicated our professors are to creating meaningful learning opportunities for us.” - Kaitlyn Dubé, a senior double majoring in commercial real estate and finance
“Attending the real estate seminar in Lyon was an eye-opening experience that gave me the chance to work side by side with French students on an acquisition case study. Collaborating across cultures not only deepened my understanding of real estate investing, but also challenged me to think about deals from new perspectives. It reminded me that real estate is as much about people and ideas as it is about numbers, and it gave me lessons I’ll carry into my career.” - Joey Nguyen, a senior double majoring in Finance and commercial real estate and finance
