I just loved accompanying all of you to Chile and Brazil this year. Thanks so much. One of the great benefits of being a professor is to watch students experience new things. To me education is based on what the students do, not what a professor does. And in this case I had a perfect vantage point to watch students doing a lot. From company visits, interviews, and presentations to tours with hard hats, drinks in hands, and food on plates, from cheering soccer players to hugging children in the favelas. Thank you.
I also enjoyed seeing your work with the consulting projects this year. Nothing enhances education more than getting away from the theoretical and doing something that is real. Your consulting projects gave real feedback to companies that needed real advice based on real data. I have already received emails from many of the companies who have thanked me for your work.
Finally, I enjoyed the social side of hanging out with young people for two weeks. Watching you eat, drink, play, swim, chill, study, email, text, sleep, are all delightful. And I even learned how to play Mahjong!
Also, a special thanks to Diego and Sonia. How cool was it to have Diego lead us through Chile? And for those of you who missed it, you should have seen Sonia just melt as she sat in Vinicius listening to Bossa Nova. I’m so glad that McCombs came up with the idea to have someone be responsible for all of the financial side of our global trips.
Muito obrigado,
Orlando
Tags: Global 2009, Thanks
South Korea 2020 
March 23, 2009 at 7:54 pm |
Thank you Orlando, Diego and Sonia (as well as everyone else on the trip) for making my spring break an amazing experience!
We will have to plan a reunion (locally in Austin) maybe at a karaoke bar!
March 24, 2009 at 4:56 pm |
Thank you Orlando, Diego and Sonia! This was an outstanding trip, and I will recommend it highly to everyone. I’ve learned so much more about the people and the business culture than I ever could have on my own. I think a lot of us now want to move to South America.
We’ll miss waking up every morning with our group, and having the expertise that you all provide available to us whenever we need it.
March 24, 2009 at 5:14 pm |
Thanks Sonia, Orlando, Diego. I wanted to go to south america to learn about the business, culture and history and I felt like we learned about all three. It was nice to have Diego tell us about Santiago and have Paulo tell us about Brazil. They were a great resource to have, because we had so many questions about the customs and culture.
Thanks again for the great experience!
March 24, 2009 at 6:13 pm |
Everything that I experienced was by far above my expectation. I enjoyed every moment in South America, lovely Chilean wine, Brazilian BBQ, and but most of all people, people, people. South America has been the mysterious world to me and now I could feel that South America, at least Chile and Brazil, is my neighbor due to what I have learned and experienced.
Thank you Orlando for everything you guided us. Thank you Diego for your leadership as well as friendship. Thank you Sonia for all your perfect and warm arrangements. And thank you Paulo for kind explanation for all the small questions.
March 24, 2009 at 9:05 pm |
Orlando, Diego, and Sonia,
Thank you so much for all of your hard work to make the South America Global Connections trip such an amazing experience for all of us! I have wanted to visit South America for a long time and this was the perfect opportunity to make the trip. Although I will have opportunities to travel to both Chile and Brazil in the future, this group trip granted me access to companies, people, and experiences that I could never get on my own. I also had fun getting to know fellow classmates that I may not have had much interaction with otherwise.
Thanks again! I had a really great time and truly appreciate your support! 🙂
March 25, 2009 at 5:30 am |
Thank you Orlando, Diego, and Sonia ^-^. Thanks for all your guidance and friendship. This trip was amazing. I’ve learned more about people, culture, and business in South America. It was a good experience for me to visit many companies; I wouldn’t have this chance had I travel there by myself.
I really enjoy spending time with everyone during the trip ^-^ Hope we will have a chance to travel together again in the future 🙂
March 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm |
Thank you to everyone on the trip and particuarly our fabulous leaders – Orlando, Diego, and Sonia! I really enjoyed getting to meet and spend time with so many new people. It really added to the learning experience. I know that there must have been so much time and effort that went into planning all of the activities and it showed by how smoothly everything went! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to travel to Chile and Brazil, and to see a side of them that many tourists probably don’t see. A once in a lifetime experience that will not be forgotten!
March 25, 2009 at 9:27 pm |
I agree with all the comments above. There is no question that Diego worked his butt off to plan this trip and everyone can agree that he did a great job. He was extremely patient and helpful with everyone. I really enjoyed meeting his friends as well (Lola and her husband), who were equally as helpful and sweet.
A big thank you to Sonia and Orlando as well. The trip went amazingly smooth and it seems that everyone enjoyed doing their presentations and visiting all the companies. This has definitely been a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel fortunate to have been a part of it.
And also…a big thank you to Paulo for being kind and helping us get around Rio.
I can not stop talking about how hospitable and generous the people of Chile and Brazil have been. I am looking forward to visiting the countries again and exploring new areas and gaining new experiences.
March 26, 2009 at 2:28 am |
I am glad that I was able to join the South America global trip. The group was a great mix of second and first years and we had representation from the different groups. I got to bond with as many people as I could.
I would like to say thank you to professor Kelm for leading this trip, planning it out so that we could learn a lot but still have time to explore the cities, and for helping us find meaningful project.
Thanks to the leadership crew as a whole, Professor Kelm, Sonia and Diego – you guys are the best… Helping out with translations and giving us great suggestions on places to check out.
Finally, thank you to the whole class for being really supportive and helpful with my accident.
March 26, 2009 at 5:39 am |
Muchas Gracias Orlando, Diego and Sonia!!!
Obrigado to all the classmates!!!
One the best decisions I made in McCombs was to take the class, and I think it was a great way to finish up my MBA.
So many beautiful memories and beautiful people.
Just wish we had one for Korea as well…
Don’t know how long it will last, but the trip has changed me a lot…
Now I am a bossanova loving, Chilean wine drinking, relaxed flipflop wearing guy, whose responses to everything is a thumb…
Thank you again and see y’all!!!
March 26, 2009 at 4:40 pm |
I really enjoyed the whole trip. I had never been to South America before the trip, but now I am quite comfortable with saying that I know a little bit of South America. I think I need to improve my Spanish for the next visit in the future.
I really thank Orland, Diego, and Sonia for everything, making this trip so unforgettable for me. Also I would like to say thank you to Paulo for being a good guide, Team Casa Lapostolle for hard working on the project, and other classmates for your friendship.
March 26, 2009 at 8:11 pm |
Thank you everyone for an amazing trip! This was an excellent group to travel with.
Dr. Kelm, Diego, and Sonia — a special big thanks to you for all of your hard work in putting this together! I was extremely impressed by so many of the activities and visits.
Paolo — I love your country. I would jump at an opportunity for an ex pat position there!
Tudo ben.
March 28, 2009 at 12:10 am |
The experience of travelling to Chile and to Brazil with a group of people where most of them had never been to those places before was incredible.
Seeing my country through your eyes enabled me to notice things that I had never realized before and I thank you all for that.
As I told some of you during our trip nothing makes me happier than knowing that people that I like are happy. So by reading your postings I have to say that I was very happy.
Thank you Orlando, Diego and Sonia for all the support you gave us not only during the trip but also in developing our projects. It was a pleasure to share this experience with you.
March 28, 2009 at 3:32 am |
Thank you Orlando, Sonia, and Diego!!! It enjoyed the trip very much and experienced many things valuable in my life. Everything exceeded my expectations. I am already missing the day we spent in Casa Lapostolle.
March 28, 2009 at 6:22 am |
Thank you, Orlando, Diego, Sonia and everyone else in this trip.
This trip is precious experience for me. I can go many places where I couldn’t visit by myself. Furthermore, via this trip, I could make new friends.
March 28, 2009 at 5:16 pm |
I had such an amazing time!! Thank you Orlando, Tia Sonia and Diego! Having talked to other people on their globals, it sounds as ours had the best staff, best company visits, most balanced schedule and best weather! 🙂 I was so happy on my choice to go to South America, and am already planning a return trip to Brazil (and Peru) over Winter break!!
Let’s def do a reunion dinner at Foga de Chao! I really enjoyed spending time with everyone!! Thanks to everyone for making this trip incredible!
March 29, 2009 at 7:16 pm |
Thank you Orlando, Diego, Sonia, and Paulo! Thanks to well organized schedule and many ad-hoc advices, I could enjoy much more than I expected. I can easily imagine that scheduling in Latin American countries is very difficult, especially for a large group like us. However, thanks to you endeavor, I had great time there that I cannot experience by private trip.
Chiao!
April 1, 2009 at 6:40 pm |
Yes, Thanks to Diego, Sonia, and Orlando for executing a great Trip!!! I had an amazing time getting to know everyone.
April 1, 2009 at 7:14 pm |
I know that planning this must have been an amazing effort between the three of you. So to Professor Kelm, Sonia, and Diego,..
Muito Obrigada!!!!
Every visit was wonderful and I enjoyed the trip more than you know. Thanks so much! Also, a special thanks to Diego for the trip itenerary and info packet. Nice job!
April 2, 2009 at 2:24 am |
Wow, this was an unforgettable MBA program experience and a highly recommended course for every McCombs MBAer.
Tank you Orlando, Diego, and Sonia!! It was such a wonderful trip where we learn hard and play hard, where we eat and drink a lot, and where we change our view toward this cone continent. With your well planning and organizing this trip, I feel very comfortable traveling around the countries even though I can’t understand any Spanish and Portuguese. Also thank to everyone in the South America team! Traveling with you all was delightful and fun. Special thank to my roommate, Paulo. You are a really good guy and are always willing to help us have a more insightful look to your country. Finally, thank to everyone I met within the trip for your kindly response to my awkward gestures and body language.
Mucho Gracias!!/Muito Obrigado!!
April 2, 2009 at 10:20 am |
Thank you, Orland, Sonia, Diego and all other friends! I believe we could have lots of amazing experiences which can’t be attained through individual trip. I really appreciate for all your professional works, supports and friendship.
Through classes, groupworks and the trip, I learned lots about business, economy, history and culture of Chile and Brazil. Moreover, I could get to know you guys through the trip. It is my invaluable asset.
Thank you again. Come to visit Japan! Keep in touch after MBA also!!