The Social Enterprise Institute (SEI) at Northeastern University is, “Northeastern University’s hub for social entrepreneurship, housed in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business. Rooted in the study of sustainable, enterprise-based solutions to global poverty, SEI aims to educate social business leaders through coursework, cooperative education, international field studies, on-campus student organizations, and service-learning programs.” At SEI, students have the opportunity to pursue academic fieldwork abroad with a focus on innovation and sustainability.

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My involvement with SEI spanned several years in various capacities. In 2013, I was a student liaison focused on fair trade and economic empowerment in Latin America. My role required that I facilitate remote communications with several agricultural cooperatives in Nicaragua. I also worked directly with small-scale farmers and collaborated with community leaders in-country. Together, we developed sustainable business plans which I later analyzed with SEI. After evaluating the aptness of multiple funding proposals, I ultimately participated in grant allocation to impactful, fair trade cooperatives.

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