My Experience with Students from Mexico

On November 17, 2017, I had the privilege of facilitating two 3 hour sessions with students who are a part of the SEP- Becalos Santander Universidades Exchange Program (https://goo.gl/ee6zAx) at the Alamo Colleges. My task was to give an overview of leadership, International business, and culture. This was a daunting task as I was informed the sessions would be the next day. 

I started off explaining how I studied in Asia and can relate to learning when immersed in another culture and how that can translate to becoming a better citizen in their home country. The level of comprehension astounded me the students had with their willingness to share with me how their experience with studying abroad was changing their lives. They had great command of the language, were quick to adopt cultural differences, and were eager to learn about international business. the second part of the session encompassed leadership skills and development using the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen Covey. The sessions ended with me giving them an assignment of developing a business that was sustainable, international, and profitable. The students then had an hour to develop this business and present their companies to the entire class. The ideas of these students were phenomenal. They used everything from differing exchange rates to develop the home country of their companies to trade agreements like NAFTA to maximize the internationalism of their goods and services. It was such a blessing for me to see these students work to develop businesses that can help themselves as well as their fellow countrymen in Mexico. I believe our global community benefits richly when students can both teach and learn from diverse cultures and ethnic groups. This experience was just as life-changing as my trek up the Great Wall of China and I believe these students will be a catalyst for change in Mexico.