The magazine for alumni and friends of the UB School of Management
Issue link: http://ubschoolofmanagement.uberflip.com/i/1017761
16 Buffalo Business Autumn 2018 director of global programs in the School of Management. She led the trip with Trevor Poag, director of global learning oppor- tunities in the UB Office of International Education. Throughout the experience, students visited several sites related to social inno- vation and entrepreneurial leadership, in- cluding Fundación Mujer, a foundation focused on gender equity and women's em- powerment; Zollner, a German electronic manufacturing services company with a fa- cility in Cartago; Cargill, one of the largest privately held corporations on the globe; and Carao Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. One of most memorable stops for soph- omore Nicholas Ciavarella was the San Jose Free Walking Tour, a three-hour guid- ed tour through the Costa Rican capital. Students met with the company founder Less than 24 hours aer touching down in Costa Rica last spring, 19 School of Management students were standing inside the Coopedota coffee production facility, learning about sustainability, so- cial innovation and international business from the leaders of the world's first car- bon-neutral coffee cooperative. The visit was one of many eye-opening experiences the students had during their eight-day trip to the Central American na- tion — all part of the newest experiential learning program offered by the School of Management. "In today's global business environ- ment, experiences like those we offer in Costa Rica, Ghana and other coun- tries are crucial for students to enhance their cultural sensitivity and broaden their perspectives," says Dorothy Siaw- Asamoah, clinical assistant professor and to learn about how he built the startup, re- cruits tour guides and makes an impact on San Jose. "I've always had entrepreneurship in my DNA — that drive to hustle and put in extra work — so I enjoyed seeing innova- tion in another country and gaining differ- ent perspectives on running a business," says Ciavarella, a partner in lifestyle brand Just Dishin Hockey, who hopes to someday launch his own company. In addition, students explored muse- ums, attended a presentation at EARTH University and visited a pineapple planta- tion to learn more about agriculture, which fuels a significant portion of the country's economy. "It was particularly interesting to see the juxtaposition of agricultural tourism and large corporations in Costa Rica, both of which are helping the country thrive Sun, startups and skill-building in Central America BY M AT T H E W B I D D L E