My name is Allison Silva. I had the opportunity to be part of the IVLP Program about entrepreneurship in 2015.
I would like to thank the US Embassy in Bolivia for the opportunity to understand and see from first row what America as a country is like. I had the opportunity to visit 5 different cities in the United States:
- Washington DC
- Austin, Texas
- Concord, New Hampshire
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Cincinnati, Ohio
I want to remark the 3 most important things I have learned in this experience
IVLP IS A CHANGE LIFE EXPERIENCE
First of all, the opportunity to visit academic, public and private institutions was amazing, since being close to the most advanced entrepreneurship ecosystem inspired me to implement the best practices back home with my team.
Cultural visits had a major role in the program; sharing thoughts with the host family helped me understand their dreams, struggles and challenges.
I have learned a lot from their positive attitude mentality and how they organize themselves to optimize resources, time and money. American people have a strong sense of fairness, meaning that they will try to help each other and work together.
Starting the experience visiting Washington DC and getting to know how the federal system works, gave me an overall about their vision as a country and how they are organized.
THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
These kinds of experiences helped me grow personally and professionally in different ways:
- Getting a global point of view about what’s going on around the world.
- To dream bigger
- To get out of my comfort zone
- To understand that we live in a world with tons of opportunities and also problems that needs to be solved.
- I appreciate and celebrate our differences as countries too.
BEING A CHANGE MAKER AND START A MULTIPLIER EFFECT IN OUR COUNTRY
- My mindset will never be the same again
- I am sure that we can make a huge local, social and economic impact once we come back to Bolivia.
Close Remarks
I strongly believe IVLP Program has a very long term impact in many lives, not only in ours but in the lives of people that surrounds us, and even better in our country.
Thanks again for letting me being part of this changing experience.