Studying abroad is an exciting experience for any college student but often comes with a set of challenges from finances to accessibility. Often, many students are discouraged to learn they can’t afford to undertake study abroad or they are not far enough along in their educational journeys to qualify for the classes.
This is where new programs and scholarships created through The Rising Tide can make a tremendous difference — providing students with access and funding to participate in essential experiential learning opportunities helping them to develop the skills to become tomorrow’s leaders.
The ACCESS Panama program through UA’s Culverhouse College of Business aims to address both of these obstacles. The first of its kind at The University of Alabama, and one of only a handful of programs nationwide, ACCESS is a fully-funded study abroad experience for freshman business students.
Dr. David Mothersbaugh, the associate dean for undergraduate and international programs in the College of Business, created the program with former Culverhouse academic advisor Samantha Young.
“The advising team came to us with the idea to make a program like this work but needed help with the money,” David said. “The first year, which was supposed to be 2020, the College footed half the bill for students and the other half came from study abroad funds. We then started to figure out a way to structure a whole freshman orientation class around the trip called GBA 145.”
However, like so many other programs, ACCESS fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the inaugural ACCESS trip to Toronto was cancelled.
“Rolling into 2021, we decided we did not want to push pause on this program any longer. Canada though was still completely locked down — there were still quarantine periods and designated hotels. I had a friend who had recently traveled to Panama and while you still had to wear a mask, the country was open.”
David, who had traveled to Panama several years earlier with the Executive MBA program, thought Panama presented a great challenge for the ACCESS students currently enrolled. It would give students an opportunity to experience and engage in a distinct culture but would also be a relatively easy flight for travel newcomers and be in the same time zone.
“One of our very strong supporters and UA alumnus, Ken Tidwell, orchestrated a trip with COPA Airlines with the president of the sovereign wealth fund, the only one in Latin America, and with the Smithsonian Research. He planned the whole day and paid for all the meals from breakfast to dinner. He’s also been generous in setting up a fund that helps to pay for students and will continue to help pay for student experiences like this.”
Nataly Aguilar Nieto was one of the 11 students on the ACCESS Panama trip, including three juniors who were in the original 2020 class. Nataly, now a sophomore, said she learned about the program at orientation.
“I applied to the program on a whim not really thinking much of it,” she said. “I didn’t think I was a person that would be able to have this kind of opportunity. Going into college, I always knew that I wanted to study abroad, but I didn’t really know that would work out. Obviously, it involves a lot of different costs and planning around your classes so I didn’t know when study abroad could fit in.”
According to Nataly, most of the trip was pre-planned by advisors such as David and with the generosity of donors like Ken.
“We visited a lot of companies and got to meet with CEOs and people who worked in various positions,” Nataly said. “I think as freshman, we got to be exposed to how to navigate conversing with people in formal business settings. We all have very unique, different experiences throughout our lives, especially during. By having access to this program and these travel opportunities, it really helps you build up a bit more of that exposure outside of the classroom.”
During the visit with COPA Airlines, David said that the company’s chairman, Stanley Motta, gave students insight into the business world they wouldn’t have had in a traditional setting.
“In business school, we talk a lot about strategy,” David explained. “But Chairman Motta said, ‘Forget strategy, look for opportunities.’ As he was giving his talk, I just kept thinking, ‘These are freshman who just get to hear incredible business lessons from someone who’s been doing it forever.’ They were hanging on his every word. His talk wasn’t that long, but what he said was very impactful for our students.”
While ACCESS Panama has only just begun, it already has provided transformational learning experiences for its students.
“The transformation is pretty immediate,” David said. “You get to see students who are surprised, they’re excited, they’re learning new things, they’re absorbing all of this. We bring them back and have them give a presentation, and from the beginning of the course to post-trip you can just see how far they’ve come.”
“I had my eyes opened to a different side of the business world you don’t really see in school,” Nataly said. “This trip inspired me and motivated me to continue to learn more while staying open to different opportunities and career options in the future. I also want to involve myself in internships that are farther away from Tuscaloosa.”
ACCESS Panama was one of several passion projects funded through the Bama Blitz online crowdfunding campaign in 2022, but there remains a need for donor support so the program can continue.
“We have a very generous donor base, their hearts are in the right place and they understand the need,” David said. “We have donors who are first-generation students from rural Alabama who have gone on to have success and want to give back. That’s such an important part because without their support financially, and in some cases like Ken, who actually rolled up his sleeves and orchestrated a whole day with his contacts, we just couldn’t do this.”
In addition to receiving scholarships for ACCESS Panama, Nataly’s education has also been supported by the John Echols Gann Endowed C&BA Scholarship, the Luther C. Callahan Memorial Scholarship and the Reverend and Mrs. Ray William Pradat Endowed Scholarship.
