Howdy! The past winter break in January 2022 I had the opportunity to travel to Panama with the Texas A&M organization, Global Business Brigades, for the purpose of providing free consulting services for three small business owners in rural Panama. Although we were not able to solve the overarching issue of economic disparity in Panama, this experience allowed me and my chapter to experience professional development and was packed with fun opportunities–one of them including exploring our natural landscape to swim in the “flesh-eating bacteria” river, we joked.?
We were divided into groups of three–the community bank and the other two individuals being furniture owners. In particular, I was assigned to be in a group to work with our client, Noriel, who is a well-established furniture owner next to the capital city of Cocl?. We were able to ask him questions, almost every day of the week, about his business to help make recommendations to improve his business. At this moment, I realized how helpful this hands-on consulting project was for me. We created a variety of recommendations, mainly focusing on improving the supply chain process, marketing strategies, and we even made a logo and hand-painted wood sign for him to advertise his business.?
Overall, my experience in Panama was very fulfilling. At the end of our trip, we even stopped by a beautiful tourist island and dined at a kind of rooftop restaurant. I highly recommend this experience to future A&M students!