Lily Veazey first heard about the Canfield Business Honors Program from her dad, but once she looked into it and heard more from upperclassmen, it became clear it was a special opportunity. For Lily, a Finance major with a French minor from Houston, the small cohort and personal relationships offered through Canfield BHP felt familiar and comforting. Coming from a high school with a tight-knit graduating class, she appreciated that Canfield BHP emphasized community just as much as academics.
Over the past few years, Lily has made the most of her time at UT by getting deeply involved in student life and leadership. She’s currently Recruitment Chair for Texas Equity Group, an organization that lets students explore the world of private and public equity. She also serves as Vice President of Materials for the Finance Book Club and is involved in Austin X Change, a student-run entrepreneurship group. Outside the academic sphere, she’s a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. Her interest in real-world finance translated into a four-week internship with Marble Capital LP, a real estate private equity firm based in Houston. She landed the opportunity after interviewing in January. But when asked about the most defining part of her college experience so far, Lily doesn’t hesitate—it was studying abroad in Copenhagen.
This summer, Lily traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark with 32 other Canfield BHP students for a four-week academic program. The trip wasn’t just about seeing the sights—it was a fully immersive course experience where students took two classes: International Business 340 and Organizational Behavior (MAN 336). The professors, who were affiliated with the McCombs and DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia, brought a distinct cultural lens to their teaching. “The professors had so much real-world experience and insight, especially into the differences between Danish and American work cultures,” she says. Participation was key as “You had to speak up every day for a grade. At first, it was intimidating, but it made our class dynamic so close. By the end, you felt like you knew everyone personally.”
The structure of her days was full but still balanced. Classes started at 9 a.m., followed by a break around 11:30 for lunch, usually at one of the many local restaurants near the metro. Afternoons included either more coursework or cultural excursions. After class, evenings were spent cooking dinner, doing homework, or watching movies with other students in the shared apartment building. The whole cohort lived on the same floor which was a bonding experience. Lily shares a story where the elevator broke and they got stuck inside for 45 minutes. They had to call emergency services to get out. She says “it was terrifying in the moment, but looking back, it’s hilarious.”
Beyond the classroom, Lily’s favorite moments came during group excursions. She still remembers how perfect the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and the Kronborg Castle, famously known as the inspiration for Elsinore in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “Those are the moments you remember—because everyone was there, just enjoying the day and being together.” The group also took a weekend trip to Croatia, where they reconnected with other UT students studying at the London School of Economics and explored towns by boat. They ate dinner by the water, toured a beautiful beach town, and made new friends.
Studying abroad pushed Lily out of her comfort zone in ways she hadn’t anticipated. Whether it was navigating public transit, planning travel logistics, or simply being far from home, the experience taught her to embrace uncertainty. “I made a lot of mistakes with booking flights and planning excursions. And sleep deprivation was very real,” she says. But she also learned to say yes to more things, to take risks, and to be okay with not having it all figured out. That growth translated to her career outlook as well. Denmark’s more relaxed strict 37-hour workweeks and emphasis on work-life balance offered a stark contrast to the hustle culture Lily was familiar with in the U.S.
Lily’s biggest piece of advice for students considering study abroad through Canfield BHP is simple: talk to people who’ve done it before and go in with the right expectations. The classes can be competitive, just as any Canfield BHP class is. It is important to work hard, but the real value is the shared experience. We made a shared photo album, had an Instagram account just for inside jokes, and spent nearly every day together. She got closer to people on that trip than she ever expected. It wasn’t just about learning in a classroom—it was about learning from your cohort as well.
Now back on the Forty Acres, Lily brings that confidence, perspective, and tight-knit sense of community with her. Her experience in Copenhagen didn’t just enrich her academic understanding, it gave her a deeper awareness of herself, her goals, and the kind of leader she wants to be.