On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, during the second day of Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG)’s “Semana Emprende,”, four students from UVG shared their experience from their recent visit to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Semana Emprende is a week-long event hosted at UVG, by UVG’s Club Emprende (Entrepreneurship Club) and the ASPIRE Project. The four UVG students who spoke as part of this panel were Evelyn Mutzutz, Camila Del Cid, Ximena Chavarría, and Elisa Samayoa. The event was held in UVG’s auditorium in front of an audience of 70 fellow UVG students. 

These students were part of a group of 19 people – students, academic and administrative staff – from UVG who participated in an Academic Exchange and Training program at MIT during the week of April 24-28, 2023.

During their talk, Camila Del Cid shared that her interest in the trip arose from her desire to find out how MIT students might be similar to UVG students. Camila stated that, before the trip, she had the impression that all students at MIT were academic geniuses. Upon visiting the MIT campus, Camila noted that the students are not only highly intelligent, but also very passionate about their work. Camila also found that these attributes are present within UVG students. In addition to this inspiring revelation, Camila observed the presence of an optimistic and empowering culture at MIT that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship.

Evelyn Mutzutz commented that she had high expectations for the trip. Although she felt a little intimidated about visiting such a large city, she found the experience exciting and  enriching. Evelyn mentioned that she found many similarities between MIT and UVG, noting that both student populations consist of people with innovative ideas who are looking for ways to bring their ideas to life. However, Evelyn shared that MIT’s infrastructure and multidisciplinary approach to be significant differences between both universities.

One uniquely impactful moment during Evelyn’s trip was when she was given the opportunity to fly a model airplane. Evelyn remembered the excitement of being first in line to fly the small plane. Unfortunately, her excitement turned into embarrassment as the aircraft crashed into the ground immediately after it took off. Evelyn also shared that the principal investigator leading the experiment reassured her with the words, “Don’t worry, all the students do it.” This short comment reinforced what she had seen around MIT, a culture where, despite the fear of failure, the most important thing is to try.

Ximena Chavarría shared that during the MIT campus tour, they visited several labs. Her favorite was the Pappalardo Lab, a space designed for students to work on their projects. When visiting this lab, Ximena was inspired by watching the students working independently on their projects, many of which were related to robotics. Ximena said that she felt the “spirit of creativity ” in this environment.

Lastly, the student panel was asked to share how they intend to apply what they learned in their everyday lives. Elisa and Ximena stated that they have started an innovation club at UVG. Evelyn shared that she has a lot of new business ideas that she is currently working on, one of which is a project focused on sustainable tourism in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Camila shared that she is working on a project to register innovation projects at the Altiplano Campus.

At the conclusion of the event, an audience member asked the students how another student could apply to attend the next trip to MIT. The panelists replied that the process for applying was simple. Interested students must fill out a form and submit a letter of intent, and panelists encouraged their peers to do so.

MIT’s motto is “Mens et Manus,” a latin phrase meaning “mind and hand.” The student panel shared that they found this to be very motivational as it highlights MIT’s spirit of creativity and culture of experimentation.

About the ASPIRE Project

ASPIRE is a five-year, $15 million project, funded by USAID, and implemented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), and the Guatemalan Exporters Association (AGEXPORT). This partnership leverages existing assets and brings together new methods of expansion for the innovation, research, and entrepreneurship capacities of higher education institutions in Latin America. The project will create a replicable, world-class model for how higher education institutions and their collaborators in the private sector, government, and local communities can address local and regional development challenges.