Experience offers education not available in any classroom
This summer, Calyca Greenwald will become a three-time NAIT grad, having already completed a Marketing diploma (2023) and a Veterinary Medical Assistant certificate (2013). Perhaps ranking among her best memories, though, will be the most recent and last year of her Bachelor of Business Administration studies.
In February, Greenwald (below, far left) was part of a group of eight students from the JR Shaw School of Business and Enactus NAIT that visited Puerto Rico for the first time in the history of the polytechnic.
On the island community of Culebra, they connected with the local chapter of Enactus, an international student organization dedicated to sustainable development.
“I think the biggest lesson was just how far collaboration can go,” says Greenwald, Enactus NAIT president. “It was really inspirational.”
For a week, the groups teamed up to help local high-school students build business skills as makers of tie-dye T-shirts. The students also had to develop compelling pitches for their products.
“[We] went around and spoke to each of the kids,” says Greenwald. “We all have that business lens that we could lend them.
“It was great skill-building for them and a really good opportunity for them to practise … in a safe space where they are in their school environment, surrounded by their peers,” she adds.
The Enactus clubs also worked with Culebra elementary students on an environmental initiative involving a beach clean-up followed by discussion of how to repurpose materials that were found.
In addition to what the NAIT students learned by working with the young Puerto Ricans, they visited two local universities to attend seminars.
Overall, a key takeaway from the experience was cultural competencies, says Keven McGhan (Finance ’89), chair of the Bachelor of Business Administration Co-op program.
“Understanding how different cultures work and the process for finding the strengths in those communities and how those can be leveraged [is] transferable no matter where you are in the world,” he says.
McGhan hopes that the trip isn’t the last for NAIT students. He feels the inaugural cohort laid the groundwork for future collaborations and unique learning experiences.
“You can't achieve what we achieved in that week in the classroom,” he says. “You can have as much discussion as you want, but until you engage in that kind of an activity, it's not comparable.”
Though she’s preparing to move on from NAIT (she doesn’t rule out coming back one day), Greenwald also hopes the opportunity to visit Puerto Rico or other international locations will be available for future JR Shaw School of Business students.
“Say yes to those opportunities to see the world,” she advises potential participants. “If it’s offered to you, go for it. There’s so much value to be had in those experiences.”
Funding for international learning at NAIT
Since 2021, NAIT has received more than $460,000 through the Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) grant, funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and administered by Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada.
This five-year funding enabled a variety of international student projects, including installations of solar power and wireless internet equipment in remote communities in Peru.
Student eligibility expanded in the most recent and final year of the grant, opening doors to even more global learning experiences. The NAIT Enactus group’s trip to Puerto Rico was made possible through joint support from GSO and the Lee Global Education Awards.