After spending two weeks in the city of Mendoza, Argentina — located in the foothills of the Andes mountains — participants in Belmont’s Jack C. Massey College of Business study abroad group returned to Nashville with increased international networks and broadened perspectives regarding business and entrepreneurship in an intercultural and international context.
Led by Drs. Jose Gonzalez and Marieta Velikova in the Massey College of Business, 13 Belmont students spent time engaging with students from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo and being immersed in Argentinian culture.
“The Argentina Maymester taught me not only about a foreign culture, but also the ingenuity of people despite a difficult economy,” said finance student Chloe Tarkany. “I grew my global mindset because the program in Mendoza fostered stronger connections than I would be able to make as a typical student tourist. The meaningful friendships I made with Argentine students widened my perspective not only of Argentina but of the United States.”
In 2012, Belmont’s first Maymester trip to Mendoza was organized through the collective efforts of Gonzalez and three Argentinian colleagues: Veronica Linares, Jose Mostafa and David English. After Nashville and Mendoza became Sister Cities, the three colleagues jumped at the opportunity to leverage the newly minted relationship by establishing a study abroad program.
“An important component to our vision was creating a unique academic program as part of the study abroad offerings that gave Belmont students the chance to truly interact, learn from and even develop friendships with students who are all very similar to them, just living in a different country,” Gonzalez said. “Dr. Velikova and I are always very intentional in incorporating meaningful academic content in our experiences that go beyond the city tour, the museum and the food.”
During their time in Mendoza, Belmont students worked closely with peers from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in cross-cultural teams on a project to develop business concepts that, if deployed, could be successful in the local market.
The project required the students to conduct an environmental scan of the economic, social, political and legal realities of the country to develop their ideas. The teams spent a week ideating and constructing business models for their chosen opportunity. The program concluded with a Shark Tank-style pitch competition where the teams presented their ideas to three different panels of judges.
The Transformational Power of Study Abroad
While pitching ideas for the competition was a valuable experience, the most significant impact of the trip was the opportunity to forge new connections with friends, peers and colleagues. These interactions helped broaden the perspectives of the student participants in a transformative way.
“I felt very inspired by this trip to see students truly and meaningfully connect with each other, be open and curious, vulnerable and adventurous,” Velikova said. “Each student truly embraced Argentina, its people and culture with respect and humility. They were willing to listen to their friends from Argentina, learn, ask questions and reflect.”
Economics and Environmental Science student Delia Gibbs gained a new perspective about the real-world implications of what was previously only classroom knowledge.
Rampant inflation is no longer just an outcome produced by shifting lines on a graph — it is the reality my friends navigate daily. I am suddenly invested in understanding the forces behind different economic circumstances that I’d previously never even considered.”
For Gibbs, the Mendoza trip was a “life-changing experience” that gave her a new-found passion for global economic situations. After spending two weeks immersed in the culture of Mendoza, she now considers her Argentinian peers close as friends and is personally invested in their experiences and hardships.
“I am sending WhatsApp messages to my Argentinian friends at all hours of the day trying to fully understand the purpose of peso devaluation and the causes of 300% annual inflation,” she added. “This understanding is a work in progress, but I will forever be connected to and invested in the future of a country and friends that are 5,000 miles away.”
The trip similarly impacted students from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. After forming strong friendships with Belmont students, Luis Escalante is eager for the opportunity to visit Belmont in the future.
“This project truly helped me expand my horizons and embrace multiculturality,” Escalante said. “Working together as a team in true synergy with U.S. students and taking in their skills, perspective and knowledge has been a truly unique experience. Through this project I not only saw how similar we are to foreign students, but also how our differences can help foster personal growth and mutual understanding, ultimately making us better people.”
In addition to the educational components of the study abroad trip, Belmont students hiked the Cerro Arco trail, experienced a traditional asada or barbecue and were interviewed by Grupo America news channel about their experience.
As Belmont continues this partnership in Mendoza, both communities look forward to future endeavors and new opportunities to expand and deepen their intercultural impact.
Learn more about the study abroad program at Belmont.