In an increasingly global world, having the ability to work alongside people from a variety of different backgrounds is more important than ever.
The Colorado State University College of Business is doing its part to prepare the next generation of leaders through the Global Business Academy, a unique 10-day program where high school students from all over the world have the opportunity to learn first-hand lessons about global entrepreneurship.
“What’s most rewarding to me is seeing these students come together from all these different countries – and come together in unison to build friendships and solve problems,” said Hope Parker, the K-12 program manager for the CSU Institute for Entrepreneurship. “It really is the mission of business for a better world in action.”
Building global community in Fort Collins
Students at the Global Business Academy paddle board at Horsetooth Reservoir.
This year’s edition of the Global Business Academy took place from July 12 to July 21, and involved 52 students from 11 different countries that included Ukraine, Honduras, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica and Panama.
During the program, students got to stay in the CSU residence halls as well as visit the University’s Mountain Campus. In addition to learning from CSU professors, the academy’s participants also got to hear from business leaders at companies like Southwest Airlines and Liberty Latin America and participate in extracurricular activities like a Rockies game and whitewater rafting.
“Our goal is to make the students aware that the world is truly so much bigger than their community and their home country,” said Gary Howard, a 1973 CSU graduate who helped spearhead the program’s creation.
Howard, who is now retired after a successful 30-year business career, said he was inspired to create the Global Business Academy after watching his daughter participate in a similar program while the family was living in France.
“I saw an opportunity for CSU to build something that no one else in the area is doing,” Howard said.
Friendships that cross borders
Global Business Academy students had the opportunity to spend a day at the CSU Mountain Campus.
Five of the students who attended the 2023 Global Business Academy received scholarships after winning an oratory competition in their home country of Panama. One of those students, Alejandro Zeinto Ramirez, was selected out of 3,000 competition participants.
“One of the big things I learned from the GBA and that I have taken home is the idea that entrepreneurship doesn’t happen within the borders of a company – it’s a concept that can apply to all parts of your life,” said Ramirez, who hopes to major in finance and pursue a career that includes international relations.
In addition to lessons about entrepreneurship, Ramirez said the GBA also provided him with new connections that will last long after the program is over.
“I made a lot of new friends, and it’s great to see people who are creating positive change in communities all over,” he said.
Fostering these friendships and global connections is one of the key reasons why Liberty Latin America continues to provide scholarships to the program for the children of its employees.
“We’re so excited to provide these young people with the opportunity to get out of their comfort zone, do something meaningful, and build lasting relationships,” said Michael Coakley, the company’s VP and head of communications.
Combining business and the outdoors
As an overarching project, this year’s students were organized into teams and tasked with using the outdoor experiences they had in Fort Collins to come up with an entrepreneurial solution to an issue in recreation.
The students got to try paddleboarding, hiking and rock climbing to gain first-person experience, and also interviewed people who work in these areas in an effort to create a product or service related to these areas.
The winning project was called Beetle Box, which was essentially a waterproof storage container for paddle boards that keeps valuables from getting wet. Other ideas included giant balloons that help rescuers find lost hikers, a shoe that can make adaptations based on the terrain, and a device that attaches to climbers’ arms and takes the load off when they get tired.
“These students were so amazing – they not only created compelling presentations and pitches, they integrated their global and personal perspectives to craft business models and solutions,” Parker said. “The whole experience made me realize the future is in such great hands because these students are truly remarkable and deeply care about each other and the world around them.”
