I’ve just completed a short trip to South America, my secondto the area as a representative of the Full-Time Admissions staff at ChicagoBooth.* I looked forward to my return to South America, having so enjoyedmy first trip last year; I found everyone I interacted with so warm andengaging!* Once again, the power of the Booth network was in full force inall three of the cities I visited.
This year, I arrived first in Sao Paulo, Brazil after aneasy overnight flight.* Because I had a little extra time in Sao Paulo, Ireached out to current student Ricardo Taveira, who’s interning at a VC firm inSao Paulo (Ricardo also blogs for TheEconomist).* Ricardo has been one of our most faithful and helpfulDSAC volunteers and I’m looking forward to working with him next year as asecond-year Admissions Fellow.* I met Ricardo a short distance from myhotel in Sao Paulo at a great restaurant/bar called Verissimo.* There, weenjoyed tapas, Brazilian beer and a warm evening and sat outside to catchup.* Ricardo then joined me the following night at our information sessionin Sao Paulo, where he was joined by his classmate Tiago Andrade and several Booth alumni; of the group, we had 2married couples, and one of our alums, Andre, joked to the group that Boothstudents have a pretty good chance of finding their future spouses at ChicagoBooth!* I was impressed to see how international that group was; of ouralums, one was Mexican and one was American, in addition to Ricardo, who claimsdual citizenship in both the US and Brazil.*
The following evening, I headed to Rio, one of my newfavorite cities.* Already the work has begun to make Rio Olympics-readyfor 2016; this could be seen from the signage all over the city to theconstruction that has begun to build a new train to shuttle athletes andvisitors around Rio.* Two rising second-year students joined me at the Rio Information Session: Guilherme Vaisman, aBrazil native who is completing his internship in Rio, and Gem McCreary, a USArmy veteran.* After spending the summer working for a non-profit firm inKenya, Gem elected to spend the rest of his summer in Brazil, where he had beenstationed in the past.* My early flight the next morning meant I got tosee the Christ the Redeemer statue glowing in the dark of the early morninghours on the drive to the airport.*
Finally, my last stop was Buenos Aires, where we are hostedeach year at Capital Markets Argentina; our hostess, University of Chicagoalumna Graciela Cairoli, was gracious enough to not only have us in her company’soffices, but also gave me a beautiful book on Argentina, which has inspired meto visit more often and really experience all that the country has tooffer.* There, we were joined by several Booth alumni and current students, who talked in part about their lives in the city of Chicago and stayed long after our event officially ended, allowing for some great conversation well beyond the formal presentation.* It's this enthusiasm for Booth, both from students and alumni, that makes my job hosting these events so easy.* The following morning, newly minted Class of 2012 grad Martin Sarano, an Argentinenative, took me out for breakfast, where I was introduced to (and fell in love with) medialunas, or Argentine croissants.* YUM!* I only wish nowI had taken a few to go to share with my colleagues back home (though I doubtthey would’ve lasted much past the flight home!).
As always, I was grateful for (though not surprised at) themany Booth alumni and current students who took time out of their busy lives tohelp me speak to those interested in a Booth MBA in the cities I visited.*As a traveler, there’s an awful lot that’s out of my hands (like my 3.5 hourflight delay on the way home from Buenos Aires to Chicago!), but one thingalways stays constant no matter where my travels take me: the alumni andstudents’ enthusiasm, loyalty and passion for Chicago Booth, and their generoushospitality to those of us traveling far from home.
For those on the east coast and in Canada, I hope to see youat next week’s FortéFoundation Forums in New York City on September 4 & 5, and in Torontoon September 6th!
-Joanne
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This year, I arrived first in Sao Paulo, Brazil after aneasy overnight flight.* Because I had a little extra time in Sao Paulo, Ireached out to current student Ricardo Taveira, who’s interning at a VC firm inSao Paulo (Ricardo also blogs for TheEconomist).* Ricardo has been one of our most faithful and helpfulDSAC volunteers and I’m looking forward to working with him next year as asecond-year Admissions Fellow.* I met Ricardo a short distance from myhotel in Sao Paulo at a great restaurant/bar called Verissimo.* There, weenjoyed tapas, Brazilian beer and a warm evening and sat outside to catchup.* Ricardo then joined me the following night at our information sessionin Sao Paulo, where he was joined by his classmate Tiago Andrade and several Booth alumni; of the group, we had 2married couples, and one of our alums, Andre, joked to the group that Boothstudents have a pretty good chance of finding their future spouses at ChicagoBooth!* I was impressed to see how international that group was; of ouralums, one was Mexican and one was American, in addition to Ricardo, who claimsdual citizenship in both the US and Brazil.*
The following evening, I headed to Rio, one of my newfavorite cities.* Already the work has begun to make Rio Olympics-readyfor 2016; this could be seen from the signage all over the city to theconstruction that has begun to build a new train to shuttle athletes andvisitors around Rio.* Two rising second-year students joined me at the Rio Information Session: Guilherme Vaisman, aBrazil native who is completing his internship in Rio, and Gem McCreary, a USArmy veteran.* After spending the summer working for a non-profit firm inKenya, Gem elected to spend the rest of his summer in Brazil, where he had beenstationed in the past.* My early flight the next morning meant I got tosee the Christ the Redeemer statue glowing in the dark of the early morninghours on the drive to the airport.*
Finally, my last stop was Buenos Aires, where we are hostedeach year at Capital Markets Argentina; our hostess, University of Chicagoalumna Graciela Cairoli, was gracious enough to not only have us in her company’soffices, but also gave me a beautiful book on Argentina, which has inspired meto visit more often and really experience all that the country has tooffer.* There, we were joined by several Booth alumni and current students, who talked in part about their lives in the city of Chicago and stayed long after our event officially ended, allowing for some great conversation well beyond the formal presentation.* It's this enthusiasm for Booth, both from students and alumni, that makes my job hosting these events so easy.* The following morning, newly minted Class of 2012 grad Martin Sarano, an Argentinenative, took me out for breakfast, where I was introduced to (and fell in love with) medialunas, or Argentine croissants.* YUM!* I only wish nowI had taken a few to go to share with my colleagues back home (though I doubtthey would’ve lasted much past the flight home!).
As always, I was grateful for (though not surprised at) themany Booth alumni and current students who took time out of their busy lives tohelp me speak to those interested in a Booth MBA in the cities I visited.*As a traveler, there’s an awful lot that’s out of my hands (like my 3.5 hourflight delay on the way home from Buenos Aires to Chicago!), but one thingalways stays constant no matter where my travels take me: the alumni andstudents’ enthusiasm, loyalty and passion for Chicago Booth, and their generoushospitality to those of us traveling far from home.
For those on the east coast and in Canada, I hope to see youat next week’s FortéFoundation Forums in New York City on September 4 & 5, and in Torontoon September 6th!
-Joanne
More...