PHILADELPHIA – Joe Oliva has spent a lot of time on the road as a member of Penn's wrestling team, venturing to many different states with the Grapplers. It is the travel Oliva has done in the offseason, though, that has afforded him two shots at the trip of a lifetime.
 
A senior in Wharton, Oliva has spent parts of the past two summers engaged in the Wharton International Program (WIP) – a for-credit program designed for students whose commitments may not allow them to partake in the usual semester abroad opportunities college students engage in.
 
In 2017, Oliva traveled to German alongside teammate A.J. Vindici. This past summer, Oliva's studies took him to Spain where he dove deep into the retail fashion world which is a thriving business in that country.
 
"WIP has been a great opportunity for me to get international business and travel exposure while staying true to my commitments as a Division I student-athlete," Oliva said. "I had such a genuine interest in studying abroad, and heard from so many friends about the educational and cultural benefits of their time overseas. The ability to fulfill both my academic and athletic dreams is the main reason I chose to attend Penn and enroll in Wharton, so this program has been the best of both worlds for me."
 
Each year, WIP includes three different trips to three varying locations. Students are able to enroll in two WIP trips during their time at Penn, something Oliva has taken full advantage of. This past May, he joined 25 other Wharton classmates on an 11-day trip to Madrid and Barcelona to study the region's world-renowned retail fashion industry.
 
"There are a few options on where you can study, but the Spain trip was absolutely the right one for me, said Oliva. "Retail is so important to the fashion industry in Spain, and it's an area of interest for me after I graduate. The opportunity to explore the supply-chain operations of large international operations and potentially apply those trends and business models to our industry was the perfect match for what I was looking for in terms of academic growth from this trip."
 
There were cultural excursions – a group trip to a Flamenco show and a visit to F.C. Barcelona highlighted the entertainment portion of the trip – but the main focus was on engaging with as many high-level international corporations as possible.
 
'The Baker Retail Center at Wharton put together an amazing itinerary of site visits," Oliva said. "Wharton has such an international presence and we were able to connect with alumni who have huge roles in these outstanding companies."
 
One such trip was a visit with Stuart Weitzman – a high-end shoe company – in Spain. Not only was Oliva able to see how a shoe comes into existence – from conceptualization to design to creation – he and his classmates were able to sit with key stakeholders who study business trends in the market and consider variances from country to country when establishing a sales plan.
 
"Upscale fashion is the focus right now in the Spanish market, and there's signs of those trends taking hold here in the States," said Oliva – who has dabbled in his own fashion design concepts as part of a headband company he started with former teammate Joe Heyob during their freshman year together. "To be able to have inside access to watch a product go from the mold to the finished product and gain insight into every little detail is invaluable."
 
Oliva and his class also spent time with Zara – a fast-fashion retail outfit based in Galicia. A vertically-integrated supply chain retailer, Zara is known for its "Just-In-Time" factory system which allows a concept to go from one desk to the next in a matter of days, drastically cutting down the time needed for conceptualization, design and distribution of products. Oliva was also able to spend time in some of Zara's full-sized demo stores at the offices in Galicia. Those demo stores allow the Zara team to test out storefronts and layout, relaying potential areas for optimization and success to managers around the globe.
 
Oliva was quick to often mention how the WIP trips allowed him to check off a lot of boxes in terms of what he wanted from his Penn experience. The schedule of a student-athlete is packed with a lot of commitments, and taking a semester abroad is usually not in the cards. However, Oliva has twice been able to not only travel overseas but did so while gaining important experience which will pay dividends upon graduation. At the same time, he was able to keep pace with his training requirements with the wresting team.
 
"The timing was perfect, in 2017 we were able to stay on our training schedule in advance of University Nationals. This past year, I was rehabbing from injury but was able to stay on schedule with my exercise plan to not fall behind in terms of offseason conditioning," said Oliva. "I was able to make 25 new friends, gain international cultural experience, see some of the most beautiful landmarks in the world, and develop new skills for my potential career."
 
The "power of and" is crucial to the goals of Penn Athletics, as athletes and coaches strive to achieve in all areas. Oliva is pleased to be able to look back on his two summers spent overseas and his years representing Penn Wrestling on the mats and know he has taken advantage of all Penn has to offer.
 
"I did not have to choose between my sport or my education. I was able to do both. I know that when I graduate, I will have done everything I could to succeed as a student an as an athlete."