For senior tri-captain Adam Hyncik, this past summer was one that he will not soon forget. The finance and accounting major from New Jersey embarked on a ten-week trip to Europe in which he held an internship in the business world working for Deloitte Touche as a financial consultant. Hyncik traveled to a number of countries, including Hungary, Austria, Spain, Italy, Poland and Slovakia, working to determine the advantages and disadvantages of a company taking its stock public. “It was definitely a life-changing experience,” Hyncik explains. “Being able to see other cultures was something I’ll never forget and sent me back with an entirely new perspective on things.”
Hyncik was afforded this opportunity thanks to earning a Tauck Scholarship through Lehigh’s business school, which consisted of a rigorous application process that included a thorough review of the individual’s academic performance among other things. The recipient of the scholarship is awarded with a chance to work an internship anywhere in the world, which meant Hyncik was packing his bags for Prague, Czech Republic.
Prior to leaving, Hyncik had to prepare a travel budget, which was part of the overall project. He proudly states that he stayed under his estimated budget, as he wisely spent his money while in Europe. Once he arrived, Hyncik had a five-day transition period in which he became acclimated with the time difference and got adjusted to life away from home. “I had a translator with me at all times when I was working, and was able to pick up a lot of the language while over there,” Hyncik says. “Reading off of a menu at first was hard, but I got used to it, and even though I did sample a little of the native cuisine, I stuck to the basics so I knew what I was getting into.”
For the first several weeks of his trip, Hyncik focused strictly on becoming familiar with the industry he would be working in, touring a plant where they manufactured energy transmitters and learning everything he could before embarking on his analysis. The goal was to determine if the company should sell their stock in the Czech stock exchange.
Head coach Billy Taylor always enjoys hearing what his players have to say following an internship or other influential off-court experience. “Adam earned the opportunity to go on this amazing trip and took full advantage of it. It shows the value and strength of the Lehigh University name in the business world and shows what a Lehigh degree can do to open doors.”
Taylor continues, “I’m excited because Adam brought his experiences back with him to campus and to our program to share with his teammates and educate them on it. As a captain and a leader within the program, Adam can help develop and encourage the younger guys on the team to do the same types of things during their time on this campus.” He concludes, “This was a tremendous learning opportunity and cultural experience for Adam to travel all across Europe and broaden his horizons and make himself even more marketable as he pursues career opportunities.”
While in Europe, Hyncik didn’t forget to work on his hoops skills either, as he would work out prior to going into the office and then play basketball after work in the evening. “I met some of the players on the Czech Republic National Team and was able to work out and play some pickup games with them. I really focused on my training the last month that I was over there so I knew I would come back ready to go.” He adds, “I would lift weights or attend a yoga class before work, and then play basketball in the evening, so between all of that, and work, it was a full day.”
In the end, Hyncik and his partners determined it was not in the best interest of the company to go public, mainly due to the restrictions throughout the countries. They shared their findings with the Board of Directors, CEO, and CFO in a PowerPoint presentation which went through very well. “Having this international experience makes me more appealing to companies as I begin to search for jobs,” Hyncik says. “I feel refreshed after this trip and was excited to come back here and get started with everything.”
Hyncik and his teammates have been hard at work with conditioning drills, skill development and weight training sessions. They begin practice later next week as the Mountain Hawks gear up for the 2006-07 season.
