Last October, around 100 HBS Latin American students, together with our families, celebrated the beginning of a new semester with a weekend retreat in Cape Cod. At this annual celebration we welcomed the first year students to the LatAm Club. This has now become a great tradition to kick off the year and strengthen the Latin American community at HBS.
The HBS LatAm Club brings together HBS students and partners that share an interest and passion for Latin America. The club aims to strengthen ties among the community, promote Latin America on campus and foster a professional and business relationship in the region by developing a strong network and source for job opportunities in LatAm. Today, we are a community of around 200 HBS students and partners.
One of our most important goals is to build a strong LatAm community. Through weekend retreats outside Boston, on campus dinner parties, and drinks in Harvard Square, we strengthen our network and develop long-lasting friendships.
My wife Carolina and I have always lived in Chile. Coming to the US was exciting but required being away from our families. Since we arrived to HBS we have discovered great friends in this community, making these years an amazing experience.
A second goal for the LatAm Club is to promote the region at HBS. Our signature event for this is the HBS Latin American Conference. This LatAm Club event gathers Harvard students with former Presidents and business leaders from the region, engaging in discussions that range from politics, private equity investing and entrepreneurship. This has become a tradition at HBS and a great opportunity, not only to promote the region, but also to reflect on the future challenges we need to tackle as business and social leaders.
A third goal is to foster business relationships and professional development opportunities with the region. In a nutshell: how to better prepare to get a great internship, a full time job, or to launch your own company. Together with the HBS Career and Professional Development Office we work on two fronts: coaching students and helping Latin American companies to connect with our members.
But the most important mission of the LatAm club goes beyond our activities. The key of our success is the long lasting relationships we build; relationships that will stand for a lifetime and help each other to lead the positive changes that Latin America needs.