Stern Goes to Costa Rica

Beaches. Rainforests. Ziplining.

Fauna. Surfing. Waterfalls. That’s
what one expects when planning a
trip to Costa Rica. In our DBi Costa Rica
course we were able to experience all that
and so much more.

I had just returned from DBi Singapore and
was still basking in the incredible,once-in-alifetime
experience when I learned there was
still availability in a new course – DBi Costa
Rica. Why not turn this into a twice-in-alifetime
experience in my last semester?
After all, I had never been to Costa Rica.

The Doing Business in courses are so different
from our typical Stern courses because of
the unique learning environment. We study
the local region and are exposed to their culture
and how that impacts the way they conduct
business, especially small family
businesses. In Costa Rica, we focused on
social, economic and environmental sustainability
in the region.

We enhanced our classroom experience with
cultural visits. Luckily, part of the Costa
Rican culture are its beaches, which we took
advantage of on our day off. La Playa Jaco
was a great day of class: learning how to surf,
riding ATV’s and relaxing by the pool. We
also visited volcanoes,museums, and the La
Paz Waterfall.

Like all NYU DBi’s, we had sessions with
prominent local professors and attended corporate
visits with local companies. One of
our highlights included an information session
with the country’s Minister of Energy,
where we learned of Costa Rica’s plans to
reach its goal of carbon neutrality. One of
the students in the course,Paul Toscano, said
“The professors changed my perspective of
Central America. It was amazing to learn
first-hand about the incredible business
opportunities in the region.”

Networking is a major component of the
NYU MBA experience, and DBi creates a
natural environment for lasting relationships.

By spending a week with a small group of
classmates, we were able to get to know
everyone in a friendly environment. We have
all made lasting relationships. “My time in
Costa Rica changed my perspective of an
entire culture, and also a way of learning. In
one week I made a lot of friends both inside
the classroom and out,”said Jonathan Cohen.

One of the appealing aspects of the Costa
Rica course was the influence of students
outside of the Stern community. Kelli Payne,
a Wagner School of Public Service student,
said “Having the opportunity to participate in
DBi Costa Rica and work with students outside
my school offered a diverse perspective
on international development I could not
have otherwise received.” “I’ve been telling all
the Wagner people about what I learned in
sustainability and social enterprises and they
all say ‘why didn’t I do that?’” added James
Dreiling,Wagner class of 2013.

No matter which school or discipline we
came from,we all had an extraordinary experience
learning, sightseeing, and discovering
Costa Rica’s commitment to business development.

And attempting to surf.

Matt Seitz said, “Costa Rica is truly a phenomenal
place. Not only is the culture awesome
but ‘Ticos’ way of doing business in a
sustainable manner should be a model for all
corporate citizens to follow. Pura Vida!