"When you're in a developing country, you'd be surprised at what that little bit of experience and knowledge would mean," Strand said. He helped businesses create grassroots advertising, post signs and keep records.
Peace Corps Volunteer Micah Strand helps a cooperative spice market hand grind nutmeg and cinnamon on the tiny island of Grenada
CU-Boulder Business Students and Alumni Help Make a Difference as Peace Corps Volunteers
November 16, 2009
Caption: From left to right, Brian Lewandowski (MBA Leeds School of Business 2007), Todd Freedman (Bachelor's degree management CU-Boulder 2009), and Micah Strand (current MBA student in the Leeds School of Business). Photo by Glenn Asakawa.
Combine the youth and idealism often found on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus with a business degree, and the ability to make a difference in the world takes on new dimensions.
Through the Peace Corps' worldwide volunteer program, Leeds School of Business students and alumni have joined thousands of other CU-Boulder alumni who have contributed to communities around the globe.
"Not only do our graduates join the Peace Corps but we also have attracted Peace Corps alumni to our MBA and other graduate programs, which underscores our reputation as a school that values being engaged in the world," said Francy Milner, who teaches business ethics and social entrepreneurship at the Leeds School.
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Micah Strand, a CU-Boulder graduate student who is currently working on his MBA at the Leeds School of Business said he was never really a "save-the-world type of person" when he was an undergraduate. But at age 22 he found himself uninspired by corporate America and applied to the Peace Corps.
Several months later, Strand was helping a cooperative spice market hand grind nutmeg and cinnamon on the tiny island of Grenada. Learning business skills, especially communication, leadership and organization -- can go a long way in a developing nation, he said.
"When you're in a developing country, you'd be surprised at what that little bit of experience and knowledge would mean," Strand said. He helped businesses create grassroots advertising, post signs and keep records.
In 2004, after Strand's first year in Grenada, the Category 4 Hurricane Ivan struck, damaging or destroying 90 percent of the buildings. So Strand's second year focused on disaster relief, grant writing and business recovery.
