Fall 2022

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Emily Hernandez

Log #1

Already heading to week 3. I can't believe it. I can still remember learning about GLOBE and virtually joining the information session. Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect from this class since I wasn't very knowledgeable about microfinancing. I have been following GLOBE on Instagram since my sophomore year and really enjoyed how enthusiastic the GLOBE managers were during their events and manager Mondays. I also wanted to be a part of GLOBE since it looked like a great community and was an opportunity to help others. During the interview process, I was very impressed with how enlightened many of the students were. I became nervous about stepping into something I wasn't familiar with, but I'm glad I did. Many of my upperclassmen that participated in GLOBE before were very glad to know that I, too, would be a GLOBE manager and were very excited for me.

I started the semester off not so strong. I had to miss the first class of GLOBE due to testing positive for COVID. But so far, everything is going great. I got to meet my team members and got to know them a little better. I was nervous about being part of a team since I wasn't confident that my knowledge would help the team, but I realized that we were all here to learn and grow together. We have to support and listen to each other to get things going, and I'm very excited to start the loan recommendations.

After the second week of GLOBE, I learned a lot about microfinancing and where it came from. I also learned how microfinancing and GLOBE have helped in the past. For example, Maria del Socorro Robledo Madriz had a loan for $500 to start up a business of school supplies and crafts. With her business, she could repay her loan and continue her business to generate wealth for her family. At the same time, her business helps her community to receive these resources. This business not only helped her financially but also brought together her family. It's amazing how these loans can significantly impact borrowers, especially the poor and women. I can't wait to continue looking over the loans to continue this fantastic work that former GLOBE managers have built up.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team

By: Anna Welch 

Log #1

Perspective. So far, that is all I can focus on. I have been forced to think globally. I am grateful for this mindset because I recognized that I needed that experience. I could not help but feel guilty on my first week of class when I walked in with my American consumer mindset and $300 purse. The conversation cultivated from images, videos, and members of the class' personal experiences were my first reality check. I took this class knowing it would teach me about the harsh realities of the situations many in this world live under. However, more powerful than anything, this class teaches us how people can get out of that cycle. Microfinance is a unique and sustainable way to give people opportunities.

This look into people's conditions has caused me to think extensively about conversations I have had in my home and how my family looked at money throughout my upbringing. My parents are married, American, full-time job holders. Three of the people who sit at my Globe group table alone have immigrant parents or were born in another country. This is not to say that my parents have not worked very hard to provide for my three siblings the life we have. However, when you hear how they started vs. the stories of these families that are my colleagues, as well as the stories of our borrowers, I, yet again, had to look through the lens of perspective.

The fact that my group has members from such different backgrounds is what will make us successful in our objectives. We want to measure impact. These women I am in a group with have already given me the opportunity to experience this lens of perspective and have impacted my life. Just as they have affected me, I know that many past globe managers have had the same fantastic experience and will be happy to tell us about their experience, just as I would be. I am excited to keep working with my team and our amazing borrowers. I can't wait to see what we do in the end and to feel like I reached people in a measurable and sustainable way

By: Sarah Filipczuk
Log #1
https://youtu.be/CXqL4J2gbeA

Marketing and Fundraising Team
By: William Hom
Log #1

This week, my team and I drafted a list of our objectives for the semester. We had a lot of great ideas, but we were thinking on too grand a scale. The meeting with Scott VanDeusen, Dr. Sama, and Lina really helped to ground our team, and we now have a much clearer, more realistic set of goals. My enthusiasm from April, since my interview for GLOBE, has not faded at all. If anything, it is now even greater. The list of objectives has cleared a path for us to follow, and I am very excited to start working on our ideas. I am the most excited about the GiveCampus campaign. I have worked various fundraisers for my schools, but I have never worked on a prolonged campaign before. The unknown part of it makes it exciting!

I was a little nervous about meeting the other GLOBE managers. It is unlike a traditional class where your classmates just sit in the same room as you and learn the same stuff. I knew going into the class that my classmates would be my teammates and, hopefully, my friends. So far, so good! While I knew this would not be like a traditional class, I like that Dr. Sama still gives lectures and readings. While there is time to talk freely with your team, there is still a structure that I find necessary to function.

I feel a lot more knowledgeable about microfinance than I did before. Even the introductory readings were very insightful. My favorite books so far are the two by Muhammad Yunus. Hearing about his story in Banker to the Poor is fascinating. As a lover of history, it is a great way to learn about the early days of Bangladesh through the eyes of a great and laudable man. Microfinance is an area that I had not learned about, even in my economics and finance courses. Admittedly, I find some of the more theoretical books, like The Economics of Microfinance, more difficult to grasp, but I still find the readings very interesting. Part of the reason I wanted to join GLOBE was because I simply wanted to learn; learn more about people, cultures, economics, etc. These books, even the more difficult to comprehend ones, are helping me achieve my goal of broadening my horizons. For example, I had no idea what a ROSCA was before this course, and I probably would not have encountered it outside of GLOBE. The little things like this confirm my decision in taking this course.

There is a whole semester ahead of me, but it will be over in the blink of an eye. There is no time to waste!

Technology and Communications Team

By: Laura Rivera

Log #1

I am thrilled just having spent two weeks as a part of GLOBE. I’ve never taken a class where I truly felt so engaged and interested in class discussions until GLOBE. It’s incredible how much progress we have made as far as already having done an oral presentation, solidifying our teams’ objectives, and constantly brainstorming ideas with our teams. Initially, I was confused about why I had been placed on the IT team as I am a marketing major and was previously an accounting major for three years. However, I was unaware of all the fun things the IT team does, particularly how much time we spend creating social media content to raise awareness of GLOBE. I had never really thought about how much time my generation spends on social media, which made me realize I enjoy creating content. I was extremely excited when I learned that GLOBE had a tik tok as tik tok is my favorite social media platform. I believe that gaining more popularity on Tik Tok (especially), Facebook, and other platforms is critical for GLOBE to have more people gain awareness of our purpose.

I’ve known my team members for longer than three weeks as we’ve gotten to know each other reasonably well. Conversing and discussing important matters with my teammates is honestly such an enjoyable experience. I have even gotten the opportunity to bond with other managers on different teams. I love how so many managers always have such thoughtful comments to make when we are having a discussion in class. Sometimes I find myself ultimately shifting my perspective because my classmates cause me to consider different perspectives I had never thought of. I think GLOBE is truly evidence that we are capable of so much if we work together.

I’m thrilled to continue progressing with my teammates throughout the semester and achieving more objectives. I’m genuinely grateful I was given the opportunity to participate in something as significant as GLOBE.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Umadai Gayadin

Log #2

Week 4! Oh my, how time is flying by! This past week has been a bit difficult for me. I got the flu and was recovering from the flu, and I feel like I wasn’t functioning at a hundred percent. On the bright side, I am feeling much better physically and mentally going into Week 5.

I am incredibly proud of the Finance team for finishing our first loan together! It was fascinating putting together Y Tha’s loan. It was great seeing what she was requesting, figuring out her motivations for requesting the loan, and seeing the different indices on Evan’s risk assessment model. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this, and I hope we can complete our four laptop loan applications and put together questions about our other loan by Sunday night.

This past week, we really had some interesting lectures. I really enjoyed the presentation about whether microfinance hinders or helps people. The fact that Dr. Sama recognizes both the pros and cons of microfinance shows how truly devoted she is to ensure no one faces the negative repercussions of taking out loans that could leave them in an inescapable cycle of debt. In addition, I enjoyed hearing about how microfinance positively impacts women. I plan to write my final paper about this topic, primarily focusing on rural Vietnam (my ode to Y Tha since she was my first loan application!). I am interested in researching more about this topic and figuring out how this transcends women being empowered in other sectors of their societies because of this.

Overall, I have enjoyed my time in GLOBE so far. I think it’s great that the IT team is trying to make us interact outside the GLOBE classroom. They also are quite convincing, getting me to sign up for BOTH Takeover Tuesdays and Manager Mondays – I am looking forward to it, though! Another thing I am looking forward to is the bake sale the Marketing team put together. I already listed down what desserts and candy I would contribute.

This promises to be a stimulating week ahead, lots of work, but I have confidence in my team!
 

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team

By: Jennie Vosilla

Log #2

In the last class, we discussed multiculturalism, gender challenges, opportunities throughout microfinance, and microloan progress. What was spoken explicitly about was the multiple impacts culture has on microfinance, including its effect on microcredit sustainability. With microcredit sustainability, it is essential to understand substitutional collateral and its dependence on a borrowing group. The lending products need to match the cultural traits of the borrower’s community and population. Some cultural characteristics that need to be considered include shame as an effective punishment, appropriate gift-giving, attitudes toward family and kinship, power structures and the perception of women, and what constitutes beauty, sin, and the meaning of life. Other cultural characteristics regarding the microloan may include individual vs. group achievement, propensity towards risk, and cultural attitude regarding the law. Hofstede’s Model of Nation Culture, or the cultural dimensions theory, was discussed in class. The theory explains how topics such as power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, collectivism, and femininity and masculinity are affected by culture. I found it extremely interesting how many different preferences of a culture may affect the microloan they are receiving.

            The GLOBE alums visited our class last year, and we, as a team, had the pleasure to meet two enterprise development and program impact audit team alums. Holly and Francesca gave us fantastic advice regarding how we should tackle our objectives, ideas regarding our position papers, and how to stay productive for our team in and out of the classroom. Both shared the importance of staying organized and on top of our work. They emphasized how important it is to plan how and when we begin our position’s paper, our impact audit reports, and how important deadlines are. It is easy to be overwhelmed or even to ignore deadlines, and how this could lead to very stressful and late nights and how it may affect our team.

            My team and I have begun completing our objectives, each assigned a specific group to focus on for our impact audit reports. I review the Marketing team, Sarah looks over our team, Reem examines the Finance and Risk Management team, and Melissa looks over the Technology and IT team. So that we can complete our objective and start the Water Project, it is Anna’s job to get in contact and connect with Sister Mary Lou to gain more knowledge on the project itself. Regarding the position paper, I have finalized my topic and decided on “How Microfinance May Lead to Environmental Sustainability.” In my metaphysics class, we discussed the importance of shopping sustainability and ethics, which inspired me to write about it for my paper. Another inspiration was when I looked over future notes for this class and noticed that it is a topic that we will go in to in depth, and while looking over those notes, I genuinely enjoyed what was being discussed. Overall, I am excited to get started with our objectives! 

Marketing and Fundraising Team
By: Megi Alikaj
Log #2

I am not sure if it is weird to relate my GLOBE logs to my personal life, but writing these logs reminds me of when I used to journal about my feelings. Now I haven’t journaled in ages, and GLOBE is a little more concrete than just feelings, but it touches my deep-thinking side. The reflection side of me. So, writing these makes me feel more connected to the class.

GLOBE is my only in-person class, so I want to give it my best. I usually find myself drifting off in many of my classes but not this one. So, I have really surprised myself with this one. Thank you, Dr. Sama, for making the lectures easy to digest, for lack of better words. And for putting them up on Canvas! Some professors are inclined to make the class harder than it has to be. I think this is another big thing I appreciate about the class. It is very straightforward. As students, we already have so much on our plate with our other coursework and life in general. So, wherever we can have some load taken off our shoulders, it will always be much appreciated.

I saw in the faces of past managers how much GLOBE meant to them. The smiles that the managers had when they saw you and vice versa showed me that the impact of this class on all parties involved is major. For one, the class wouldn’t be able to stand for this long if it weren’t for a good professor with a good team behind her. Actions speak louder than words, and GLOBE's success tells me all I need to know.

On a bit of a different note, I also wanted to talk about my experience with meeting previous managers. The insights that Abbey provided were great. It was kind of an “inside scoop,” almost. The tips and tricks of being in the Marketing team. It was a great time. There was one thing that Abbey said that was also voiced to the team from Lina as well concerning how much we do in the class. I must say, we did get a little ambitious with our goals at first. It’s kind of crazy how fast time goes by when you actually sit and think about it. To my team's defense, however, I think it’s better that our team shot higher than lower than the expectations. It shows we’re hard workers with big ideas. But granted, it is true that we shouldn’t bite more than we can chew. We have lives outside of GLOBE as well, and managing all aspects is going to be one of the keys to doing well in the course. It was a bit of a stinger when some of our ideas were shut down, but it was a well-needed reality check. It helps us to do a few things really well than scatter ourselves on so many projects.

Another thing that stuck with me is getting people to help with our events. I know the feeling all too well of working hard on something but not getting the support you thought you were going to get. I see it in people’s work ethic at my summer job. People make time for the things they want to make time for. If we, the Marketing team, are creating the events, then it’s at the top of our priorities to make the event the best, but the Finance team, for example, has to give out actual loans to people. I can’t lie and say I don’t understand this logic. I really do, so I understand why it’s like pulling teeth sometimes when asking for help. But just because I understand something doesn’t mean that it is okay. We are all a team of one at the end of the day. Although we are in different groups, we are all in the GLOBE class. And we should do whatever we can for the other teams whenever they need help. Because a little can go a long way, and if we can make each other’s lives easier, the course will greatly prosper no matter how much or little.

Now that the class has been going on for a few weeks, I am excited to see what the future brings. But also, a little nervous because October is almost here, which means midterms are almost here, which means Thanksgiving break is almost here, which means finals are almost here. This means I have to buy Christmas gifts soon, so I will be finishing undergrad soon. Time flies when you’re having fun! See you next week, GLOBE log!

Technology and Communications Team

By: Nina Allen

Log #2

This week we have focused on finalizing our objectives and developing a social media strategy. We want to gain followers on our platforms, but more importantly, we want to find ways to interact and engage with our followers. Our followers are vital to our success because they see our accomplishments and share them with the world. They are the ones who help to get the word out about GLOBE.

            During this past week, I have seen the importance of teamwork and how vital it is that we all work together in GLOBE. GLOBE focuses on its teams because you can do more together than when you are a part. We met former GLOBE managers so that they could pass down some of their knowledge and make suggestions to us so that we could learn what may or may not work. You could see how much GLOBE impacted them when they walked into class. They took time out of their busy schedules because of their love for GLOBE. I believe meeting with them was extremely beneficial because we could bounce ideas off one another, and it made me love GLOBE even more!

I feel very lucky to be able to experience this in a classroom because many people don’t learn the importance of teamwork until they’re in the working force. I can already tell that the experiences I have had so far and the information I have learned in GLOBE will be lessons I take with me throughout my life.

In the past class, we discussed Microfinance, Gender, and Multiculturalism. I found this topic to be extremely interesting. We must realize that cultures, governments, living situations, and just about every other aspect of a society change from country to country. This can make it very difficult to operate in these countries, so I believe our partnership with the Daughters of Charity is extremely important. The Daughters have established a relationship with the community, and this relationship is vital to the success of our loans. On our own, we would not be able to adjust to the characteristics of each country which would hinder us because we may not be able to operate in as many countries, or we would not be as successful.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Emily Hernandez

Log #3

I can't believe we're almost halfway there. So far, this journey has been very informative and inspirational. This past week the finance team got lots of things done. We've finished our drafts for our four laptop loans from Vietnam and have already set a date to meet with the steering committee. As a team, we are starting to feel more comfortable with the loan recommendation process and can't wait to finish our edits and one loan application from Vietnam.

This week's class was very informative about microfinance in developed countries. In developed countries such as the U.S., Microfinancing is different compared to developing countries. Microfinance in developed countries, there are more significant loan amounts (around $3,000+), and there are safety nets available such as food stamps, Medicare/Medicaid, etc. Government is well-regulated, and you can find taxes and licenses needed when starting a business. There is much poverty in the U.S., but the great thing about developed countries is that there are more resources available that can help. If someone is unemployed in the U.S., one can file for unemployment to receive some benefits while looking for another employment. This is the privilege of living in a developed country, which is why GLOBE doesn't lend microloans within the U.S. But that doesn't mean microloans aren't used in developed countries.

Interestingly, patterns such as women using loans are also seen in developed countries. Unfortunately, it's hard for MFIs to expand in underserved markets in the U.S. since operational costs are very high. To support those increased costs, MFIs in the U.S. are implementing technology solutions and creating partnerships with community-based organizations, and they are trying to diversify funding sources. Even though developed countries have the support of the government with resources, MFI is still necessary and valuable. After today's class, I could understand how microfinancing in developed countries functions. I continue to support how GLOBE functions and how it helps the poorest of the poorest. I'm very glad to read these loan applications firsthand to get a better sense of the different needs of people in undeveloped countries who are from developed countries.

My team plans to prepare the loans for the steering committee this upcoming week. I'm also planning to get a head start on brainstorming my outline for the final paper. I'm very excited to research more on the inter-generational cycle of poverty and how microfinance can help break it. It probably will focus more on undeveloped countries. Overall, I can wait to continue with GLOBE on creating an impact in the world!

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team
By: Sarah Filipczuk
Log #3
https://youtu.be/kUJTKnJ46O8

Marketing and Fundraising Team

By: Megi Alikaj

Log #3

This week's work is increasingly piling up. Everyone was right when they said that this semester would fly by, which makes me a little sad because it is my last semester at St. John's. But it is a much-needed break from school, which I appreciate. So, pros and cons to everything. But back to the schoolwork, because time is flying by, it feels like there is NO time to do everything. I just realized October is here! Is this month the first test of the Marketing team? How will we perform during our bake sale and Treat for Change event? But before all of that, how will we work together with the IT team to craft a beautiful and meaningful Give Campus campaign? The Marketing team has begun the preliminary steps of drafting a write-up, and from talks with the IT team, they have been very nice in offering help with whatever we may need. It is nice to know we have support from all sides. I think it makes for better motivation, knowing that you have a team of people that are rooting for you. We appreciate it!

Another thing I want to touch on is how the audit form brought everything into perspective. We finished our objectives list, but everything seemed scattered since we have so many dates we are working with. When you see everything on one piece of paper, and then there's another group of people who are asking for your progress and, on top of that, RATING that progress, the pressure is definitely on. Not in a bad way, I actually enjoy this type of work. When the demand is high, it actually helps keep everything in check and forces you to do well. There are so many people depending on us! That also helps put things into perspective. One small essay is going to have a significant impact; from the IT team who needs to make a video based on our narrative to all the people responsible for making GLOBE successful, to the donors who will be reading this, and to the people who will use these donations to advance their life!

The last thing I want to touch on for this log is this week's reading for the oral presentation. I thought it was interesting that the Marketing team had to read from the Economics of Microfinance. Because our work is aimed more toward the social aspect of microfinance, I didn't think our presentations would center on its economics and business aspects. But it is something that I appreciate because I get to gain a holistic understanding of microfinance services. The reading wasn't overly difficult, mainly because it had a lot of qualitative research that was easy to understand. It was also interesting to learn about the criticism that microfinance faces. To be fair, some of it I can understand, especially the fears of how women are able to safeguard their money from their husbands. Many societies in which microfinance thrives are patriarchal, so the husband gets a say over many financial decisions. While women's empowerment is an excellent outcome of microfinance, it is also important to ensure the upkeep of this empowerment. Regardless, it was nice to read about both perspectives of the argument. It was also nice that my home country, Albania, was mentioned in the reading because I wasn't aware that microfinancing was a strong service there as well. The more you know!

I am excited to see what this week brings. Until next week GLOBE log! 

Technology and Communications Team

By: Laura Rivera
Log #3

https://youtu.be/nty9GDvZGho

By: Winnie Minasie

Log #3

I can't believe that we're already halfway through! Time sure flies but the knowledge, friendship, and satisfaction I've gained through this class are impeccable. Moving to October marks a speedy approach to halfway through the semester. This made me pause to reflect on what GLOBE meant to me and consider how I intend to go on for the remainder of the semester. GLOBE has been a significant step for me as someone who has occasionally performed voluntary or philanthropic work. I felt like GLOBE is the perfect opportunity for me to do this because I am helping people while running a business to some extent. I'm glad I decided to apply to GLOBE because not only is it the ideal platform for me to achieve this, but I've made amazing connections with fellow managers and the entire GLOBE community. This also came in handy in my life outside of GLOBE. I now have a little knowledge of business operations in other countries and communication strategies using information technology, which made me reflect on my potential.

In class, we discussed the topics of Social Entrepreneurship and the Ethics of Microfinance. I thought these discussions were really important as they highlighted structure's importance in helping or hindering people. The latter topic's connection with the book we read for our presentation was striking. In the book Creating a World Without Poverty, Muhammad Yunus mentioned that to have a successful anti-poverty program, it's essential to come up with a straightforward definition of poverty specifically for that region/country. I believe structure is critical even in shaping our day-to-day lives, which made me realize: did I mention I was featured on Manager Mondays AND Takeover Tuesdays?! I'm usually the person behind the lenses but to take everyone on my day was beyond exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. Tuesdays are usually my busiest and having that "structured" scheduling came in handy. Overall, I believe week 5 ended pretty well.

I learned about how microfinance is different everywhere. The topic primarily focused on developed countries. I didn't know that there were that many microfinance institutions serving the developed world. The core reason for the operations of these institutions was due to the highly numbered disregarded micro-entrepreneurs by commercial banks. In addition to this, we discussed the power of "good ideas" in class.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team
By: Daniel Marrero
Log #4

During these past weeks, we've completed around 7 loans and are ready to present them to the steering committee. During this process, I have learned a lot about risk assessment. For me, the most interesting part is analyzing macroeconomic factors. We are living through very historic times, and during my time doing research for GLOBE, I've analyzed what these countries' economic conditions look like. At the moment, the countries I've analyzed, Vietnam and Nicaragua, countries in which GLOBE operates, both vary in inflation rates and currency devaluation. Nicaragua is around a 12% inflation rate, and its currency has devalued by around 3%. Meanwhile, Vietnam's inflation is around 3%, but their currency has devalued by around 7%. For me, this is very interesting, and I ask myself why this happens.

While reading chapter 3 of the New Microfinance Handbook, it sparked many thoughts in my head. This chapter was on the role of government and industry in financial inclusion. I believe that, essentially, the root of poverty, financial instability, and disequilibrium comes from Central Banks and the current monetary system. Our current monetary system has many flaws. I once did a paper on the Theory of Financial Instability, and it talks about what has historically gone wrong in our economic policy. In short, I believe the problem has been central banks' involvement and government overstimulation of the economy. Whenever there has been a recession or crash in our economy, the governments and central banks tend to bail out companies, such as banks in 2008, and furthermore, they tend to pump money into the economy. Recently, during covid 19, the US Federal Reserve and the government pumped so much money into the economy, which is why we have record inflation levels.

Essentially, when talking about financial inclusion, we must first analyze the roots of the problem. The current monetary system is not stable and not sustainable. It is a bigger problem that global currencies are crashing against the dollar than it is to have financial inclusion. Because if you think about it, it's not useful for our borrowers to save money if their money is losing power every second. Restoring price stability and exchange rate stability should be the first priority. Afterward, we can worry about financial inclusion.

To finish off, I'd like to say financial inclusion is a very important part of an economy, and it has been very interesting to read about the current developments in this area. Governments and central banks worldwide should be more focused on achieving financial literacy and financial inclusion in underdeveloped countries.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team
By: Jennie Vosilla
Log #4

Being a junior in university, I have entered a phase of life where I need to decide where I would like to be in my career and what I will do for the rest of my life. As a Marketing major, I have found the internship process to be complicated, in that other majors can have a full internship dedicated towards their studies, such as a financial consultant, tax programs for accounting, risk and compliance opportunities for risk management and insurance, and more. This idea regarding the lack of specific marketing internships during the Career and Internship Fair Expedition hosted by St. John’s University earlier in the month. Throughout my time on the expedition, I noted all the various opportunities in the internal audit industry and may have decided that internal audit may be a field I see myself pursuing.

I spoke about GLOBE with companies and businesses such as Synchrony, Protiviti, and Bank of America. I had a fantastic conversation with a professional auditor at Synchrony, and he recognized the GLOBE and EIRP Programs here at St. John’s due to Synchrony’s involvement, and he stated that he was very impressed regarding my interest in these types of programs. Last week, I received the opportunity to join the first round of interviews with Synchrony and interviewed with them last Friday! The discussion, overall, I feel, went very well. I felt very comfortable speaking with my interviewers, one being a Financial Auditor and the other being a Technology/IT Auditor. The interviewers were kind to me, and I explained GLOBE, what my team is working on and has completed already, and the program’s impact on me thus far. I stated, and both interviewers had agreed, that the idea of auditing was never initially on our minds when it came to what we would be doing for our careers and how underrated of an opportunity internal audits hold. They absolutely loved the originality of GLOBE and the impact and power that a program at a university truly holds. After hearing about their day-to-day routine as an auditor and how their audit internships at Synchrony had resulted in them signing to be full-time employees there, I am beyond excited to see where this path leads me. I am honored to say it is all because I was interested in learning something new and outside my comfort zone by joining the Enterprise Development and Program Internal Audit Team.

Marketing and Fundraising Team
By: Nawsin Kamal
Log #4

The past two weeks have been rather eventful. In a blink of an eye, October has dawned upon us, and so have all the marketing projects. I am really excited to execute all the initiatives we have been planning since the beginning of this semester. The first thing on our agenda is the Treat for Change event, where we will be distributing baked goods and other sweet treats in exchange for people’s donations. I am confident that we will be able to execute it smoothly with the help of the other GLOBE students belonging to other groups. The collaborative aspect of this event excites me the most as, due to our designated groups, not all of us get to work closely. This event could serve as an opportunity for all GLOBE members to know each other better. Additionally, I cannot wait to get more students involved in this amazing program. I am looking forward to meeting prospective members.

Prior to our October 4th class, we were able to present the role of gender in microfinancing. We dove deep into what makes women as borrowers appealing to microfinancing institutions. Something that intrigued me was how MFIs tend to favor women because, more frequently than not, women tend to work near their homes, making monitoring them easier. In addition, they are also more receptive to criticism from their community, making them better borrowers. We also discussed how providing women with capital empowers them since they are taken more seriously as financially contributing family members. Financial contribution gives women bargaining power within the family, which helps family decisions reflect their opinions.

Last week I had the incredible opportunity of visiting Washington, D.C., on the annual Alumni Insider’s View trip. It was truly inspiring to meet successful St. John’s alumni and acquire first-hand knowledge of different career paths. I took this opportunity to educate some alumni on GLOBE, which they greatly appreciated. I also had the chance to speak to multiple students who are very interested in GLOBE and all it has to offer.

I am incredibly excited to further my journey in GLOBE and see how our events turn out!
 

Technology and Communications Team
By: Nina Allen
Log #4

It’s hard to think about an aspect of my life that GLOBE hasn’t reached. Since being in this course, I have noticed some changes in myself.

Community service has always been central in my life, and it has been something that I have participated in ever since I was young. This example was set by my parents, who encouraged me to be an altar server and a volunteer in various community organizations. While GLOBE is still a class, for me, it is a type of community service. I am serving communities that I have never been to, and it’s a new experience for me. I can make a difference in people’s lives that I haven’t met before and probably won’t. In my community, I know the people I’m serving and can immediately see their reactions, but in GLOBE, I only know the stories of our borrowers; I don’t know them personally. However, the joy of being able to help our borrowers is beyond describable. Community service is central in my life and for me to have a greater reach than just what is here in front of me is truly amazing.

GLOBE is extremely important to me, and I find myself talking about it every chance I get. Many of my friends, peers, mentors, and colleagues ask me what my favorite class is, and without hesitation, I immediately tell them GLOBE. Some of them aren’t familiar with the class, so I explain what we do, and they’re fascinated by it. I proudly wear my GLOBE wristband every day. I think we need to do whatever we can to spread the word about GLOBE. Word of Mouth is an important concept in marketing, and I believe it’s vital to GLOBE. It’s interesting to see a concept I’m currently researching play a role in my life. Prior to my research project, I didn’t think much about Word of Mouth, and I never really noticed it in my life, but ever since I started my research, it has become something that I take notice of, and I see how it impacts people’s lives. I heard about GLOBE from former managers, so it’s essential for us to talk about it.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Daniel Marrero

Log #5

This morning we had our first committee meeting where we presented the loans and the objectives. I’m a little disappointed I was not able to present my loans, but overall, I’m proud of the work me and my team have done, and it was a successful event. I’m also happy that all the loans were able to be unanimously approved. It was really interesting to hear the Steering Committee talk about the mission of GLOBE. After presenting somewhat of a risky loan, I remember one of the Steering Committee members said, “this is why GLOBE exists, to be able to provide these people the opportunity to take risks and get out of poverty.” This really struct me and inspired me. Hopefully these loans can help these people out of poverty and have a better life. That is the mission of GLOBE after all.

It was also very charming that these people on the Steering Committee had such positive feedback on our work, as well as providing us with ideas on what we can do to improve and how can they help and guide us in the right direction. They gave great ideas on what we could do with a marketing budget and provided a different perspective on what we could do differently. Running ads on social media seems like a good idea, but I wanted to ask, what would be the goal of this? To gain more followers and likes? To get more doners? Or to simply spread awareness about microfinance and GLOBE? I believe we must set out priorities before we can start running ads on any social media platform, but overall, it is a great idea and I’m excited to see the results in the comings months.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team

By: Sarah Filipczuk                                                                                                               

Log #5

I'll begin my log by discussing one of the already amazing benefits that I've gained from being a part of GLOBE. I applied for a job at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and I got an interview. At the interview, they were asking me about my previous experiences, and I was explaining to them what GLOBE is and my role in it; and, as I was speaking about it, I was so thankful because it is and continues to help me in my career goals so thank you for that as well.

When it comes to reflection, I would like to speak on the discussion post that we had to do today and the ethics regarding microfinance. It is true that microfinance institutions in America do certainly partner with banks and therefore, become more concerned with profits over charity. It's so great to see that GLOBE is not one of those organizations and that it does solely work toward bettering the lives of its borrowers. Something that was of interest to me was Reem’s discussion post in which she claimed that religiously affiliated microfinance institutions are detrimental to the lives of minority groups in multifaith communities. As she said alleviating poverty within one group of people would inevitably push another group of people into poverty; and though this may be true, on a larger scale I do not believe that this pertains to GLOBE because our borrowers receive small loans for their personal business ventures, and they only do make enough money to provide for their families. It's not like we're sending out a lot of loans to a singular community, it may be a couple but not enough where I believe some groups are getting pushed further into poverty so that's where I disagree with her statements. However, I do have to ask if GLOBE’s Daughters do reach out to people who may not be Catholic. On top of this, I'd like to reflect on the impact survey that my team and I have been working on. It has been more challenging than I had initially anticipated it being since I am trying my best to curate a survey that I believe will be both effective in qualitative analysis as well as straightforward enough to receive a higher response rate. I know we spoke about this in our e-mail exchange, but I will say working on this impact survey is an amazing learning experience for development and project management which is exactly one of the things that I do want to do once I graduate. Other than this, I thank you for reading this time rather than watching and I wish you a great week!

Marketing and Fundraising Team 

By: Megi Alikaj

Log #5

The fifth log already… it is crazy to see how fast time is flying by. We are already having our midterm tomorrow and we just completed one of our objectives today. The big bake sale was a success!! This was such a huge relief to me. This weekend before my bake sale was my birthday weekend, so I was already stressing about finding time to bake. And it didn’t help that half of my brownies got ruined … BUT this story has a happy ending. My other half turned out amazing. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed baking for bake sales. It reminded me of all the times in high school I would bake for whatever clubs I was in back then. While I was baking, it made me think how simple times the last time where I baked for a bake sale. Really puts the passage of time into perspective, especially since I am graduating so soon. Anyways, I made my brownies (I also put chocolate chips in them for an added touch of sweetness) and then wrapped everything and was ready to go the next day.

When I woke up in the morning and saw that it was raining, I did get a little nervous. Rain just makes everything so messy, and I was so worried traffic would make me late in coming to campus. Thankfully I was able to get here on time and although since I had so many things I was struggling to walk around campus, but I made it to Marillac with Will and Uma and we set up a beautifully decorated Halloween Bake Sale.

The beginning was a little slow. And in all honesty, I would get upset when people would come by to look but not buy anything. Giving a dollar to a fundraising cause never really hurt anyone. But alas, I also understand that some people aren’t interested, it just hurts to see people overlooking your hard work. As time passed, however, more people showed up and loved our treats. My friends bought my brownies, and I was surprised to see how much they loved them. One of my friends even came back for seconds. It was great!

Will and I then walked around for Treat for Change and that was also an interesting experience. Some people were super nice and donated a couple of dollars. Others didn’t even let us finish talking. So, I guess you see a lot of people in this line of work. Although I was getting discouraged by the not-so-nice people, the ones that took the time to listen to us really made my day. We even saw former GLOBE managers during our travels that cheered us on.

Overall, this Bake Sale further showed me how many helping hands makes work lighter than it would be if we didn’t have this much help. For one, everyone baking helped us fundraise close to $500 because of the amazing goods they were able to provide for the rest of the school. And every one that donated their time was able to drive the bake sale home and help the marketing team have an amazing outcome. A big shoutout needs to go to my groupmates in the Marketing team for helping organize the bake sale, the class for supporting us, and Dr. Sama and Lina for guiding us. This work really does take a village!

Technology and Communications Team

By: Nina Allen

Log #5

This week’s lecture was about social entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurs. A lot from this lecture resonated with me and I think that I’d like to become a social entrepreneur, or at least work at a company that embraces the values of social entrepreneurship.

This lecture was also very timely as we are half-way through the semester and at this point some people feel burnt out. It is vital that as individuals and as a group we continue working hard because we still have a lot to accomplish. One characteristic of successful social entrepreneurs is inexhaustible determination, which I believe is going to be very important for us to accomplish our goals that we set out in the beginning of the semester, especially with the GiveCampus project upon us. We as the IT team must remain diligent and aware so that we can complete the video in a timely manner and assure that it is a good product of our work. I’m really excited for the GiveCampus campaign. I truly believe in the project that the marketing team chose to raise money for, and I believe that we have some great ideas to spread the word about the campaign. From working on this project, I have learned so much about the Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) project. Providing clean water in developing regions and countries greatly helps alleviate poverty. I don’t believe there is just one action or one project that will solely alleviate poverty, instead there must be a compounding effect. Multiple actions and projects must be conducted to alleviate poverty, microcredit, microloans and creating access to clean water are just a few examples.

This week we also had a discussion post and it spoke a lot about ethics. Personally, I find this to be a very interesting topic. Social entrepreneurs are supposed to be ethical, purely motivated, and fully accountable. Currently, I am taking the second philosophy course, entitled "Moral/Ethical Dimensions of Business". In this course, we have spoken about how there are certain things that are allowed in the world of business that are generally not accepted elsewhere. It's interesting to apply these circumstances to businesses operated by social entrepreneurs. I’d like to believe that they will always act ethically but they are not immune to the stress that running a business entails. They are not immune to competition. These among other factors can create ethical dilemmas where people may not always act justly. While I understand that tough decisions need to be made, I don’t believe that ethics or morals should be thrown away. I especially believe that social businesses, MFIs, and social entrepreneurs should be held to a higher standard than other businesses. Afterall, they are helping society in a different way than other businesses so I believe they should be judged differently on their actions.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Emily Hernandez

Log #6

The Finance and Risk assessment team finally completed their 1st steering committee meeting. As expected, it was a success, we had all the loans accepted, and now our borrowers from Vietnam and Nicaragua can receive their loans. I’m very excited to see the outcome of the loan. Even though I won’t be in GLOBE class, I’ll probably be curious if our borrowers could repay their loans and have made progress in their business or education. It’s great to know that our work of assessing risk and creating the loan recommendations for the steering committee was for a good cause.

This past week, the finance team was able to work on the new loan recommendation we received from Nicaragua. It's surprising to see that this new loan comes from a man that is around his 60s. So far, most of our borrowers have come from women no older than 35. Overall, it's great that he came out seeking a loan. Surprisingly, his risk assessment came out to be a bit high, but I believe the purpose of the loan aligns with GLOBEs values, and it seems that the monthly payment doesn’t present a large proportion of his income. Sister Evelyn also mentioned that she knows the borrower through his son and believes this loan will significantly benefit him. Even though he presents a high risk, I think he’ll be able to repay the loan, and it’ll significantly impact him and his wife by providing a stable income through their business. Now that we’re halfway through the semester, I believe that the Finance and Risk assessment team has gotten better at working together. We are almost done with this new loan recommendation, and if we finish it before the end of the week, we’ll be able to finish before the 3-week mark. This is a step closer to accomplishing 1 of our objectives, which is excellent news. With fewer loans and midterms out of the way, we can now focus on completing our objectives. We improved right before the EDA internal audit that is due bys this week, and now we can make some progress on our objectives.

I am looking forward to working on the objectives and the Position paper, in which I am currently doing some intense research to find suitable sources to support my claim.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team

By: Melissa Baez

Log #6

Based on chapter 15 of the New Microfinance Handbook, I was really interested in reading about how the social performance process works. I feel like this is a topic we have been talking about a lot in class and the importance of the mission of an institution. Serious questions that should be asked especially regarding a microfinance enterprise would be what is the intent behind the institution? As mentioned in the chapter, the Social Performance Task Force was created with a designated framework. It begins with intent, internal systems, and activities, outputs, outcomes, and it all leads to impact.

It begins by understanding the intentions that the institution is trying to lead towards. The mission and goals of an institution are fundamental because if it is not organized, then they can lead to conflicts or losses caused by the driving intention. The functionality of a system is important as client services and communication with management are necessary for the powerhouse to keep on running. Other factors such as staff training, staff incentives, and assessment of client poverty, retention, and satisfaction should be underestimated in evaluating the long-term outcome resulting from the company. Outputs are essentially what outreach is in accordance with geography, gender, poverty, methodology, and product performance. In other words, is the output that is being performed based on the institution serving the poor and the very poor people. If this is not the case, then clients will not have been able to experience social and economic improvement.

I think what really captured my attention reading this specific section was that it related to the last discussion post we did. A lot of what was detailed was in reference to ethical microfinance and it correlated with how crucial it is to uphold healthy business practices. If these practices are not held, then it can cause a lot of harm for the same individuals that the institution was seeking to help. If we want to create change, we need to reflect on the past. By reflecting on the past, we use audits or impact surveys to examine how much of an effect is truly taking place in the world. We use our knowledge to seek a higher understanding of how we can uplift those who come from poverty to bring towards what they want to reach in life. I believe this is what makes GLOBE truly so special.

Marketing and Fundraising Team

By: Emma Piti

Log #6

This week we had our first meeting with the Steering Committee who were so nice, and it was great to finally hear the Finance Team describe all of the loans that they have been working on. In this meeting, all the loans were approved. Having so many loans being worked on and approved this semester is so rewarding because it is a direct correlation of where the money that all the teams, but especially the Marketing and Fundraising team work so hard to raise. On a different day this week, we had our final information session with potential managers for next semester. Many of them seemed very interested in GLOBE, which is a positive sign, and I am very hopeful that GLOBE will have a great group of students next semester.

During class this week we learned about managing microfinance programs, which was interesting to learn about because we call ourselves “GLOBE managers” but before this lesson, I knew nothing about how to manage an MFI. This lesson also resonated with me as it tied into my major and revealed a new aspect of what I have been studying for the past 3 years, International Management.

This week has been a very productive week for my team as we have accomplished or are very close to accomplishing all of the goals that we made for the semester. Treat-for-Change was a success, we have essentially finished our part of the GiveCampus campaign, all of the thank you letters will be written by next week, which we have everything we need for already, and our hometown visits are being scheduled and conducted. At this rate, we will complete our goals before the end of the semester. Maybe, then, we can use the end of the semester to hold a last-minute event that will help us raise even more money for our goal. Looking back, I do think that we could have achieved the Game Night objective that we originally planned. Overall, this week has been a very pivotal week for GLOBE, and I cannot wait to hear the guest speaker present to the class in a couple of weeks!

Technology and Communications Team

By: Isabel Romero

Log #6

As we finished taking our midterm and we made it to that middle mark of the semester I got to reflect on all the good GLOBE has brought upon me. I am happy to have taken this course because I love being able to help provide loans to people in underdeveloped communities that wouldn’t get help from regular banks. In a funny way, I feel as if GLOBE was my child; I am working on something GLOBE related every day and I don’t mind because I am supporting a cause I have become really invested in. GLOBE is a program I could see myself helping long-term. Not only is the microfinancing work that GLOBE does amazing but through the class and being on my team I’ve learned that I love doing social media, filming videos, editing, and advertisement work and hope to do similar work once I graduate college. Having a great group definitely adds to my love for GLOBE but since I have never been exposed to micro-loans, I was really blown away by all the good these loans do for our borrowers. Of course, there are some downsides to micro-financing institutions due to the ethics of some institutions, but GLOBE does a great job to keep a transparent front with our borrowers.

Last week my team and Will from the marketing team finally started filming our Give Campus video! I am so excited because I know this video will reach a larger audience than our social media can’t reach yet. I also love that Dr. Sama pushed us to work on the WASH project this semester because it has been wonderful to learn about it. Through Focus Fridays on Instagram, I tried showing our followers the connection between the WASH Project and GLOBE because at the end of the day if our borrowers aren’t healthy, they aren’t able to improve their quality of life financially. One of the main factors of illness in these underdeveloped countries is the lack of clean water. With the WASH Project, I hope to bring awareness to the issue and get donations in order to help the people in Ethiopia. In the future, I hope GLOBE continues to support the WASH project because by attacking the issue of lack of clean water in these underdeveloped countries GLOBE can slowly continue to operate in them.

In class, the finance team was able to share with us the loans they have been working on this semester and “meeting” the borrowers we are fundraising and promoting for! It felt as if our hard work was paying off since the borrowers are receiving their loans. In addition, learning about each borrower made me feel more connected to them and the work we are doing. All the borrowers were amazing but the borrowers that stuck out to me the most were the two sisters in Vietnam. They stuck out because the older sister who is 26 years old is a returning borrower that has brought on her younger sister who is a recent high school graduate (age 19). She is exposing her to all the benefits that come with handling micro-loans at such a young age which will allow her to have more financial freedom and control in her future. I have two older and one younger sister and we are really close when I heard about these two borrowers, I felt a connection because I would also do anything to help my sisters succeed. I also love seeing girl power!

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team
By: Umadai Gayadin
Log #7

A little less than half of the semester is left which is crazy to think about — it feels surreal that being on the Finance team and a part of this class must come to end at some point. I mentioned this in log #6 but I just want to reiterate it again: I feel like I have learned so much and have gained a great deal of information about GLOBE (which can be attested to with my midterm grade :) ). This truly shows how much we have learned this semester.

We are now working on our remaining objectives. This week I started experimenting with different platforms and programs to see which one would help GLOBE track loan repayments in an efficient, automatic way. Emily and I are also committed to writing out a step-by-step about how to complete a loan recommendation so future Finance teams can utilize this.

Our in-person class discussions were absolutely phenomenal this week! We really created a space to have meaningful discussions on really important topics: who should society hold more accountable, governments/corporations or individuals? Is there one type of donor more important than others? Is donating money enough from billionaires and celebrities? What is important to consider when coming up with new social ideas and concepts and carrying through with them? All these questions fostered such amazing answers. I related to Winnie’s answer about water conservation, Will’s authentic answers, and Reem’s insightful family experiences. This revealed that despite all of us in GLOBE having different backgrounds and experiences, we have a lot more in common than we think. I think this is one of the most beautiful things about GLOBE because this transcends to our borrowers who are from all across the GLOBE; despite being from Vietnam or Nicaragua, they all have a dream about starting their own businesses and paying it forward in their communities, which shows how much they have in common; they share passion, persistence, and conviction.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team
By: Melissa Baez
Log #7

Reflecting on last week’s class, we talked about loan approvals and the purpose that these borrowers would use the loans for. One case that struck me was the sister loan from Vietnam. What makes GLOBE so beautiful is that it initially starts with helping one person but turns into a ripple effect. The older sister from Vietnam was a second-time borrower and did a great job in repaying her loan. Because of that, it led to her younger sister applying for a loan, giving them both the opportunity to uplift their business and begin a successful career at a young age. This is why the EDA team is creating an impact survey which will be sent out to the borrowers and former GLOBE managers. We want to hear feedback to know how our organization is effectively running. The intent is to change lives and I think that this specific loan was a prime example of how we are doing that. We can only hope that this continues, not only within their family but with other families as well.

Last week’s presentation was based on risk management which happens to be a topic that I find really interesting. It interconnects what our teams do, and it includes internal audits. We perform internal audits to make sure that everything is running smoothly among the teams. We do not want to have any conflicts or disputes because our original purpose is to help provide for those in need. We want to identify scale, outreach, and growth within the organization and want to ensure that the numbers are correct.

The Finance team also plays a large role in risk management, they have to navigate portfolio quality which involves repayment rates and financial viability. In my opinion, I believe this team carries an enormous load when it comes to providing loans because they need to make sure that the client is aware of every single detail involving the plan. They may not be present within the field, but they are extremely involved, from afar, because they are taking care of important work to ensure that everything is running smoothly.

Marketing and Fundraising Team
By: Nawsin Kamal
Log #7

It is rather surprising how we are almost at the end of the semester. Time passes by so quickly when you are having fun. This week was a rather eventful week as we got our midterms back. The midterm was rather insightful as I was able to not only refresh my memory as to what we learned but it also reminded me once again why I am in this program. Due to a heavy workload, I feel as though I was burning out quickly however, looking at the individual profiles of our borrowers reignited my passion for GLOBE. Additionally, we finished up our second audit. It was great to finally be able to put our earnings down for the total income portion. While it is small on the surface, it is still a start, and I am very proud of our team. We were also able to go to Professor Maggiore’s class this morning which was incredibly fun. It is always a nice experience spreading the word about GLOBE. Professor Maggiore was extremely accommodating and that made it easier to talk freely about this program. We have also begun preparations for the “Thank You” notes we are planning on sending our supporters. The whole class is once again coming together to accomplish the marketing team's objective. I am very excited about this collaboration.

Apart from that, this week the marketing team was responsible for reading “Development of Islamic Microfinance” and presenting what we learned. It was very interesting to learn about the Shariah Law and how microfinance could incorporate restrictions imposed by said law. There is a learning curve to everything, and I think we could definitely apply certain aspects of Islamic Microfinance to our own program. The ethical aspect of the IMs is rather unique.

I cannot wait to mail out our Thank You letters and further promote our GiveCampus!

Technology and Communications Team
By: Isabel Romero
Log #7

The technology and communications team has been working very hard, meeting with Alina, Scott, and the marketing team to start or finalize the projects we have been working on. We have met with Will from the marketing team, a lot, regarding the film and finalizing the Give Campus video, which is 95% ready. The progress we made from our first draft to our second draft is amazing! I like that for big projects Dr. Sama makes us write drafts, then after receiving feedback, we make improvements and resubmit. This process ensures we submit our best work for sure!

Working on the Give Campus video has not only given me steady hands with the filming but has also allowed me to learn more about editing videos. Winnie taught me how to use Canva to edit clips and insert them into iMovie. For example, we incorporated a clip from Sister Mary Lou and Dr. Sama recommended we introduce her with a name tag at the bottom of the video; I knew how to do that on iMovie, but Winnie taught me a different way to do the same thing. It has been a blessing to work with my team because we learn a lot from each other. Aside from all the learning I have acquired through the Give Campus video, it has been very fun to film and think creatively about how to make the video better. Last week we met with Alina, a GLOBE alum, to discuss boosting our posts and ads through Meta. It was very insightful because I never worked on ads. I am very glad to have Alina guide us because she has so much understanding and experience. Although I couldn’t meet with Scott, my team filled me in, and I am excited to learn more about Google Ads. Although we won’t see much of the results of these ads this semester since we are starting now, we are laying the groundwork for future GLOBE managers!

Five GLOBE managers and I recently visited my sales management class to help my teacher, Professor Maggiore explain to his class what GLOBE does. Professor Maggiore’s intent for this presentation was to help his class understand what microloans are and how helpful they can be to people in developing countries. His sales management class is working on an ASL project to help the Shuar Culture Community of Metzankim Village located in Morona-Santiago Province, Ecuador market their entrepreneurial business and bring more attention to this community. I didn’t know what to expect walking into the presentation, but it went incredibly. To begin we introduced not only ourselves but also our team and briefly explained the work our teams do. Some students were very surprised to hear about GLOBE, and others were very thankful to receive more information on microloans because it would be a great addition to the project for Professor Maggiore. I know students in my group were thankful for the finance team's perspective on loans because I don’t know as much about the loan process as Emily who is on the finance team. From then we opened to Q&A which was very focused on loans and the process. However, we also ended up talking about how some microfinance institutions aren’t ethically correct and what to look for when finding a microfinance institution that can help the Shuar community in Ecuador.

I feel like I have constantly been talking to others about GLOBE and pushing them to apply it to this eye-opening experience. I recently encouraged my friend Aadilah Bajwa to apply to GLOBE, which didn’t take much convincing because as soon as I started talking about GLOBE, she knew this was a great opportunity to get some real-world experience and to broaden her knowledge about microfinance. I also notice I am talking about GLOBE constantly because I am meeting more and more past GLOBE managers! They are always very open to talking and supporting GLOBE, it truly feels like a family! I hope to be a source for future GLOBE managers too.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team
By: Emily Hernandez
Log #8

We are now in week 11; there are just four more weeks until this semester ends. It’s sad that we only have such little time in GLOBE. This week we had a discussion board where we had to search for current events in Microfinance. I stumbled upon an article on Forbes about how Fintech can help improve financial literacy and inclusion. Since technology is becoming the new norm in society, technology can greatly help in reaching out to people all over the world, providing education to become more financially involved. At the beginning of the semester, I remember reading how important it is to have a proper infrastructure, such as roads, to access banks or ATMs and how important it is for the government to have consumer protection against malpractices. Technology can help bring the bank to the customer without the need to physically go to the bank. Not only is technology accessible, but it can also be a great learning tool where people can learn more about personal finance and microfinance. The article talks about how an application called World of Money, a US non-profit organization, helps empower youth with financial education using videos. They're educating the youth using technology about information that sometimes isn’t taught in school. This can help improve financial inclusion and literacy but teaching them young, and once they grow old they will be more aware of how to save or how to invest their money or get loans.

Of course, there is a challenge when using fintech. Is fintech inclusive? Some people don’t have access to electricity or mobile devices. If GLOBE implements more tech-based applications to the borrowers, will we be really reaching the poorest or the poor, or are we not accessible to some? This can be very tricky, and when trying to implement fintech, a well-taught plan has to be created. This article was very interesting and sparked many ideas.

Moving along, tonight, we will have a guest speaker, which is very exciting. We received a new loan from Nicaragua, which the finance team has to look over and create a loan recommendation which is exciting as well.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team
By: Sarah Filipczuk
Log #8

I really enjoyed the comradery in class today with the GiveCampus campaign video and advocacy. It’s always nice to see a group of people being passionate about a social justice initiative together. Passion is the key to change, and our drive towards GLOBE’s success and the WASH project’s mission was seen by our commitment to sharing the GiveCampus campaign. I was so happy to see my friends and family eager to donate and learn about what we are doing here at GLOBE. There is no better feeling than knowing your efforts are creating a positive change in the world. I also enjoyed the discussion posts this week and noticed a trend of articles regarding women in microfinance. This has been an ongoing theme this semester and even the guest speaker tonight spoke on the topic of women as being the main borrower demographic. As a woman, it is inspiring to see other women taking the leap of faith to become entrepreneurs and working hard to provide for themselves and their families. In my article specifically, I found it interesting how holistic practices were mixed in with the microfinance institutions in India. Allowing women to learn and incorporate practices that are familiar to their cultural upbringing can help them feel more comfortable and trust in the micro-financing companies they take loans from. I wonder how GLOBE can implement financial literacy which takes on a more specialized cultural approach to help bring familiarity to the borrowers.

Marketing and Fundraising Team
By: Megi Alikaj
Log #8

I can’t believe our last in-person class has approached this fast. I wish I had more time with GLOBE because of how fun of a class it was. I’m appreciative as this is my only in-person class this semester so without a doubt, it is also my favorite. As I’ve also said in my past logs, I am thankful to have had an amazing team throughout the semester. Because this class is heavily based on group performance, I can’t only appreciate my hard work, but theirs as well.

I also really liked this week’s discussion board. I love when conversations center around current events because they keep me updated on the latest news. Especially with a growing field like microfinance, I think it is nice to see how it is doing in recent years. I especially liked that I stumbled into the article I talked about because it provided a new experience for microfinance. It wasn’t just used on the business scale, but to make concrete change in a community that was environmentally struggling. This could perhaps be the future of microfinance. I think we all know how dire the problem of climate change has become. Regular citizens, private companies, and the government have thought of so many solutions and changes, and while they are all useful, we still find ourselves in the midst of some concerning conditions. Can microfinance be another solution added to the mix?

I think microfinance can help in smaller aspects, concerning local communities. Because the loans that microfinance gives out aren’t significant in number, perhaps they won’t make much impact in a macro look at the climate problems we are experiencing. But that doesn’t mean that microfinance can’t make an impact. I think it’s nice when people help and encourage their communities in doing good deeds for the environment. It might not affect much on a global scale, but it does make people feel good and help them feel like they have power and a say over this problem. Sometimes climate change seems like a problem too big for single individuals to be able to tackle. But when there is community outreach, people feel involved and not so helpless in the problem. So, microfinance can definitely have a significant impact.

Technology and Communications Team
By: Laura Rivera
Log #8

As the end of the semester approaches, I definitely have mixed feelings as it’s unbelievable that we only have a few weeks left. While earlier in the semester I had anticipated that GLOBE required a lot of hard work and dedication, I didn’t anticipate how rewarding it would feel to complete our objectives and other goals. I felt very proud of my teammates, peers, and myself for our progress in completing the WASH video as we worked very hard on it, constantly making the necessary adjustments and edits. I was very happy at the positive responses my peers showed when we presented the WASH video today in class. While we have undoubtedly made a lot of progress, we still have much work to do for the ad campaign which I look forward to working on.

I really enjoyed learning about Amistad y Fe from tonight’s guest speaker, especially because the organization focuses on operating in Guatemala. I feel that the guest speaker opened my eyes to all of the personable aspects of microfinance organizations; I love that the organization really places an emphasis on giving voices to the people in La Morena and think this is something that every microfinance organization should implement. Giving voices to people actually living in poverty helps in focusing efforts on the issues which need the most attention.

Another part of tonight’s guest speaker’s presentation that really resonated with me was the concept of local wisdom. While the majority of people in Guatemala haven’t obtained education past the 6th grade, there is still so much knowledge these people have that we don’t, and much we have to learn from them.  I think it is important to note how secluded some aldeas (villages) are from cities and how hard it is to obtain resources, as I have experienced this firsthand, every time I visit my family in Guatemala. Regardless of these circumstances, there is an immense number of self-made entrepreneurs in Guatemala, my family included. Thinking about this along with the concept of local wisdom makes me think about how many people’s businesses would flourish when provided with the proper resources such as those that a microfinance organization, like GLOBE and Amistad y Fe, could provide. I was extremely inspired by this presentation and hope to become more involved in my family’s village. Perhaps in the nearby future when I am a St. John’s alumni, I would like to contribute to helping organize a trip for GLOBE students to come to Guatemala to experience the transformation of people’s lives firsthand.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Umadai Gayadin

Log #9

Little over four weeks left until the end of the semester… except for me there is no next semester. I will officially be done with my undergrad studies this semester. I knew this was going to happen, I knew this would be my final semester… it just happened quicker than I thought. Post-grad life, graduation… all of this is becoming cemented as I receive emails about applying for my Honors Certificate, submitting my diploma application, and interviewing for full-time jobs. Don’t get me wrong, I am ecstatic to graduate — but it’s sad to think that come next January when classes re-start for the spring semester, I won’t be here anymore. I won’t be in a classroom again until I start law school two to three years from now.

It truly has been a blessing to be a part of GLOBE, especially for my last semester of college. This program shows you how much bigger the world is. Learning in a classroom is precious but, being able to see the impact your work is having in different parts of the world, beyond the classroom, is even more special. If there is anything GLOBE has taught me, it’s that the job is not done yet. We must look at all these different aspects of poverty and consider how we can improve these developing countries’ quality of life with consideration of these aspects. We need to think of how we can alleviate their burdens rather than further burying them in their burdens. Doing work with GLOBE inspires me to look for other organizations to be a part of, for example, clean water initiatives, access to education, etc. I hope that wherever I go and whatever I do, I will be able to give back to this program and others out there fighting for human necessities and needs in developing countries; in addition, taking an active role in advocating and being a part of the work that is making a positive change in the world.

So as the Finance Team wraps up our current loan, works on our other objectives, and starts writing our final paper for this class — I reflect on everything this final semester of college has taught me so far and everything I have ahead of me waiting to happen in the future.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team

By: Melissa Baez

Log #9

Going to Spain last week allowed me to view GLOBE in a different perspective as I was able to take what I learned in the classroom and see it in a different lens from across the world. I think it is so beautiful that we are allowed to do something for the greater good of humanity outside of our home. GLOBE has allowed me to see how individuals work differently in other environments and take the resources they have to advance.

Going over this week’s lecture about impact investing, I found it interesting in how we have to attract investors to solve social/environmental problems. I found this point interesting because I feel as if we do this throughout our oral presentations. We pitch a topic, and we discuss the significance behind meanwhile connecting it back to GLOBE. Because GLOBE is an active organization running, therefore we engage in bake sales or create other fundraising events to create awareness. We are trying to get a message across campus for people to know what GLOBE is about and for them to become invested. If we did not have the IT team, it would be much harder to get the message out since social media has become a part of our daily lives. The IT team is consistently posting and trying to gain follower’s attention about what GLOBE is doing. A great example would be GiveCampus, where they are trying to put together a video where they promote this specific cause.

Examining the four core characteristics of impact investing reminds me of what we have been trying to emphasize so much throughout this semester which is intentionality. Taking this course has taught me that if we want to make change, we have to be intentional. If we are not intentional with our goals, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We are here to learn, but also give borrowers the opportunity to be released from the cycle of poverty. How we deal with impact investing involves impact measurement, where we measure the extent where change is occurring. This is where my team plays a role in creating an impact survey to see what GLOBE has significantly done for the borrowers and former managers. I think it is an incredible idea to do so because we have a better understanding as to how we are progressing. I am excited to see how the document will turn out.

Marketing and Fundraising Team

By: Megi Alikaj

Log #9

Last week, I gave my hometown visit to my old high school. It was a very exciting day for me as it had been quite a long time since I had visited my old stomping grounds. I had heard quite a few things had changed but also quite a few of my old teachers were still there. This was nice to see as we had a lot to catch up on, especially since I am so close to graduation.

My actual presentation went very well. I went to my senior math teacher who was actually doing a loan project with her class. I remembered I had done the same project my senior year, where we had to open our own small business and figure out how to make profits to repay our bank loans. Now our loans were quite substantial, around $50,000. It was the same for this year, so I tried to tie my presentation to the fact that loans of these amounts are not something done in microfinance. We give out small loans so they are easier to repay and the scale of the small businesses that open in America for example, cannot operate the same in the developing world. The business would not flourish as customers would most likely not be able to afford their services. I was glad to see that the class liked my presentation and so did my teacher. It was the perfect environment to teach about microfinance as my teacher does a lot of lessons centered around business and since it was a class with just seniors, I could also talk about my college experience and college tips and tricks.

On a different note, the outline for the position paper is making me feel confident about the final paper. I was able to find some more sources that can be useful in my writing and helped me solidify my position as well. It is also so nice that we were able to reach our GiveCampus goal! In only one week, we were able to fundraise more than $2,500 so I am excited to see what the final amount will be at the end. Now that GiveCampus is in full swing, it is giving perspective to the end of the semester. With our final big project being our final presentations, this semester has been one for the books. GLOBE was a much better experience than I thought it would be during my beginning nerves and now I hope that I can finish on a strong note.

Technology and Communications Team

By: Isbael Romero

Log #9

It has been a week since we launched our Give Campus Campaign and we have already reached and surpassed our goal of $2,500. Dr. Sama was so positive that we were going to exceed our goal and I knew we were going to definitely make more money than our goal amount, but I didn’t think we were going to accomplish this in less than a week. I am certainly proud of all the GLOBE managers that have been spreading the word and getting people to donate. A special shoutout to Nina on my team (Technology and Communications Team) for generating $1,311. I hope we can continue this momentum until December 14th which is when the campaign ends.

I am so glad we chose the WASH Project because the cause is significant for the people in Ethiopia and for GLOBE. The WASH Project will help provide clean water to the people in Ethiopia which will provide drinking water easily accessible and minimize the number of people getting sick and dying from dirty water. Minimizing that rate will allow people to focus on creating a better life for themselves which is where GLOBE’s micro-loans can come into play to support them.

We recently had a speaker, Ed Klimeck, join us in class and tell us about his work in Guatemala through Amistad y Fe which in English translates to Friendship and Faith. He is a leader in this Solidarity Lending Program that is sponsored by his Parish and Diocese. He was very inspirational because his parish really took the time to figure out how to help this community in Guatemala. Klimeck mentioned how eventually they started having high school kids help with Amistad y Fe which created a butterfly effect; that pushed these kids to get involved in social justice careers because they are so moved by the work they’ve done. Similarly, I feel this butterfly effect with GLOBE. I am interested in continuing to pursue a job in social justice. What stood out to me the most was his advice on creating trust with this community which was very simple, just continue to go back and help. Many of these people receive empty promises from charities and organizations which allows them not to trust people who are willing to help.

Unfortunately, we only have one more in-person class session and I am so sad, I wish GLOBE was a year-long class! I created meaningful relationships with other GLOBE managers which were very unexpected. I remember following GLOBE’s Instagram page before I joined and when I would watch the Takeover Tuesdays past GLOBE managers seemed to be close friends. I hoped that my team was as close as them and thankfully we are! I didn’t think it was possible because with other classes we have group work, but it never leaves the classroom. I also feel like we do not have enough time to finish everything we want to do. For example, we are starting to create ads with Scott to boost GLOBE however we will not have time to see this project flourish. Our goal would be to set a good foundation for the next GLOBE managers to continue.

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Emily Hernandez

Log #10

Last Log of the semester! We’ve finally reached the end; the only thing left is our position paper and final presentation. Today’s class passed by quickly; we reviewed some lectures and had our oral presentation. The finance team had to do their oral presentation on Chapter 14 of The New Microfinance Handbook, which was very interesting to read about, and I could relate it to GLOBE. It talked about financial and social performance management. Much management is required to facilitate organizations such as MFIs. Not only is financial management critical, but I learned how crucial social management is. The chapter highlighted a framework created but the Social Performance Task Force. The process starts with Intent, in order words, the mission and social goals of the organization. Then Internal services and activities question what activities the institution needs to make to achieve its social mission. Then are Outputs, or who is the institution serving? Is it the poorest of the poor are they being inclusive? The final section of the process is Outcomes; this shows if the clients experience any social and economic improvements. If everything goes as follows in this process, then the institution will make an impact. The chapter also talks about how important it is for frameworks to collect and manage data through information systems for social and financial indicators.

In class, we also saw a TED talk video which was very inspirational and informative. It's amazing to see how Jane had dreams which, in the end, she achieved differently than what she had dreamed of when she was younger. I really enjoyed the video; it made me realize how great it is to be part of GLOBE.

The Finance Team stills have one more loan to finish. We are waiting for the daughters in Nicaragua to respond to our question. So far this semester, we have done nine loans in total, which was great. I remember prior managers had two loans and knowing that we received and finish nine loans was amazing.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team

By: Jennie Vosilla

Log #10

At first, I did not fully understand the concept of these logs. I understood that it is important to track our progress and our thoughts throughout the class so we can see how we grew as managers and write a summary about our day in class or our readings, but once it was established that the topic of our logs had to be how GLOBE has impacted us as individuals and where I drew confusion. After nine lovely logs, currently writing my tenth, it is time I fully understand why we spend our nights writing these logs. The purpose of these logs was to acknowledge all the different ways that being a part of a program like GLOBE has genuinely impacted our day-to-day lives, where if something like logs was not assigned, we may have not acknowledged or even realized the kind of impact this had made on us over the past semester and in our futures. Although when drafting my logs, there were weeks that I had some difficulty coming up with how GLOBE has impacted me this week, I was always reminded about how often GLOBE is brought up amongst my peers, whether it be someone asking how to apply, what it is, or even just how the class has been for me. Today being our last in-person class, along with the handing out of miniature plaques, we all had to describe GLOBE in one word. Being one of the first people to go, I described GLOBE as “empowering,” which I do believe sincerely. The word that stuck with me the most was “community.” Although it may have gone unnoticed for some, the people who are a part of the Fall 2022 GLOBE class created such a powerful and comfortable environment and I do believe we all together created a community of like-minded individuals all working hard in their way to help those in need, which is such a rewarding feeling. I am reminded of a past log, one in which I spoke deeply about the community we made in the classroom over the past fifteen or so weeks, which is where it hit me how significant these logs were to our progress as GLOBE managers and members of the GLOBE community. I am beyond proud to be a piece of the community we have created all on our own and cannot wait to see how successful our community’s presentation will be.

Marketing and Fundraising Team

By: William Hom

Log #10

The final log is finally here! A lot of anticipation and build-up went into this, and it is surreal that we are already here. I have had a busy week, and not in a good way. Thanksgiving was nice and relaxing, but after almost three years of dodging COVID, I finally fell victim to it too. I am very sad that I am missing our last in-person class. Although they were late, I grew to like the night classes. Yet another thing that GLOBE has taught me about myself. Since the last two classes are online, I am not going to see Dr. Sama in person until next semester. I am happy to come to a GLOBE class if she wants to bring back old managers or anything like that.

Dr. Sama has shared some of the responses from the recipients of the Thank You Letters, and I am so happy that everyone likes them. I was reminiscing about this past semester, and I have learned and done so much in this class. I remember being anxious in mid-October in the lead-up to the bake sale and Treat for Change, and I remember being excited about launching GiveCampus. I am still asking for donations, but a lot of the people I am asking are having money issues right now, so they do not exactly have the means to support the campaign. I know they want to and they have been sending the link around to people they know, so hopefully, the numbers will go up soon.

In my past logs, I talked about not being nervous for the final presentation because I like public speaking and I am not shy. This is still true, but now I am a little more nervous. It is very close now – only two weeks away! The time is making me feel the gravity of it a bit more. I am still going to do my best and give a stellar performance. I am excited to see the new GLOBE managers, who will attend the final presentations. I remember being very fascinated by what the managers from Spring 2022 had done, so maybe I can make the managers for Spring 2023 feel the same way.

Technology and Communications Team

By: Laura Rivera

Log #10

It’s unbelievable to think that tonight was the last in-person GLOBE class of the semester; it’s most definitely a bittersweet feeling. Last week we did not meet in person as it was the class before Thanksgiving. Although my family has never celebrated Thanksgiving the “traditional American way”, I definitely took Thanksgiving break to consider everything that I’m thankful for. I’m thankful for my health, my family, and the food and shelter that I am so privileged to have. I thank my parents for how they’ve raised me, always keeping me aware that I am extremely privileged to have even my basic needs as many people do not. My upbringing has definitely affected my perspective on poverty and the different ways we can contribute to its alleviation.

Tonight, in class we watched a very interesting Ted Talk video where a woman told stories of the people she encountered while in Kenya. I found that this video also related to the theme of being grateful, especially Jane’s story. Jane spoke about how her initial dreams, to find a good husband and to become a doctor, were not feasible. Jane’s husband left her to be a single mother and Jane contracted AIDS leaving her to be isolated from society and resorting to prostitution for money. Despite all her struggles, Jane surpassed her circumstances and transformed her life partly thanks to the aid she received from a microloan which allowed her to develop her tailor business. She realized she had everything she had wanted all along; a family and to help people. This message really resonated with me to consider how privileged I am and to be thankful for all that I have; Jane’s story is truly an inspiring reminder that money isn’t everything and one’s attitude is what matters.

As the semester is rapidly coming to an end, the IT team has been looking over our objectives and reflecting on all we have completed as well as what areas we can still place our final efforts into improving. Collaborating with my teammates has truly been my favorite part of my experience in GLOBE. GLOBE has benefited me in so many ways, all while learning very relevant information about how microfinance contributes to the alleviation of poverty. GLOBE has allowed me to work on my public speaking skills, time management skills, communication skills, and in many other ways. I am truly grateful I got to be part of something so great as GLOBE and can’t wait to see all that future GLOBE managers will achieve!

Finance, Budgets and Risk Assessment Team

By: Umadai Gayadin

Culminating Reflection

I remember the first time I heard about GLOBE; I was on a phone call with Evan Naumann, now an alum GLOBE manager, last semester; he was so excited and enthusiastic about GLOBE and the work he was doing. At that moment, I knew I wanted to be part of this experience, this legacy — specifically the work the Finance and Risk Assessment Team did. This entire summer, I looked forward to this class and all the impactful work I would do (in hindsight, I realize I may have manifested the crazy amount of loans we received this semester). Overall, GLOBE was everything I looked forward to and more.

Let me start by giving kudos to Dr. Sama… GLOBE is an immense amount of work. I do not know how she manages this program AND all her other responsibilities. This class gave us insight into how many moving parts there are in this program. Teamwork and collaboration play essential roles in this program, from the borrowers to the Daughters of Charity to Dr. Sama to GLOBE managers to the Steering Committee — that’s not even considering the groups/ teams within those teams! It’s incredible to see how people play a role in GLOBE and how efficient it is despite all these moving parts. So, I want to thank Dr. Sama for putting in all this work to make this opportunity possible.

The next group of people I have to thank is my fellow GLOBE managers. Emily Hernandez was a phenomenal team liaison! She went above and beyond for this team and its members. She is a natural-born leader, and I can’t wait to see her impactful work in the future! The other GLOBE managers pulled through for me — especially for the “questions” portion of our Team Presentations! We had terrific, meaningful conservations in this class. It’s always lovely to discuss relevant issues in classroom settings. My favorite class discussion was whether monetary donations were enough from billionaires and entrepreneurs — whether they should be doing more than throwing cash at the issue.

I look forward to giving back and being part of the alumni of this program. I hope that despite my responsibilities, I will be able to meet future GLOBE managers and tell them they are blessed to be part of this experience. Once again, thank you for giving me this opportunity this semester! This was a difficult semester for me health-wise, and I appreciate Dr. Sama’s understanding and patience during this time.

Enterprise Development and Program Impact Audits Team

By: Melissa Baez

Culminating Reflection

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to take GLOBE this semester as it impacted my level of education and way of thinking about the world. My perspective has changed due to the stories I was able to hear about the borrowers and how they were able to uplift themselves from such tragic situations. Learning about microfinance has tremendously taught me key ideas that I would like to apply in my future career.

The biggest takeaway I learned about microfinance this semester is that it is a powerful tool that can change your life. I hope other universities and colleges can use GLOBE as an example and incorporate them into their curriculum for more students to learn about this field and how it can shape lives. It would give students who are not sure of what they want to do in the future the possibility of pursuing this field. 

If I could go back into the semester and redo something again, it would be to re-watch the videos where people spoke about their life and experiences because many words stuck with me. “We owe it to the Janes in this world” will always stick with me and motivate me to continue helping those in need in the future. What makes the complexity of a person is not what their physical status looks like or the situation they find themselves in, rather it is the root or the foundation they choose to stand on to continue becoming stronger regardless of what life may throw at them. This is what fascinates me about GLOBE particularly because it goes to show a little cause can go a long way. Even if the process may seem slow at the beginning, it does eventually pick up and become gradually larger.

I am very appreciative for having gotten the opportunity to work with my team and seeing how much progress we were able to make. I cannot wait to take everything that I have learned with me and move forward with it in my next chapter.

Marketing and Fundraising Team

By: Nawsin Kamal

Culminating Reflection

As the semester wraps up, my journey in GLOBE is also coming to an end. Usually, at the end of each semester, I am relieved however, this semester I am overcome with bittersweet sentiments. I first joined GLOBE to preserve my mother’s legacy however I ended up staying for everything that it stands for. I am incredibly grateful to all the former managers that recommended I join GLOBE. Most importantly, I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Sama and Lina, the twin pillars upon which GLOBE stands.

Growing up in Bangladesh, I knew about microfinance and its positive effects of it on our economy. My mother herself works with female entrepreneurs. She even makes appearances on national television in order to advise women on how to acquire a loan and how to maximize its use. The women my mother helps always send their products to our family as a token of appreciation. Inspired by my mother’s experience, I decided to delve deeper into the world of microfinance. Upon hearing about GLOBE, I knew that it was the perfect opportunity for me to get involved.

Upon joining the program, not only was I introduced to Dr. Sama, an incredible instructor but also other students who were just as interested in GLOBE as I was but for various other reasons. I consider myself incredibly fortunate for being a part of the Marketing Team. The members of our team are from very different academic backgrounds; however, through the presentations and all of our events, we were able to build our team dynamic and form a friendship. While the marketing team organizes different events to raise money, the entire class has to participate to ensure the smooth execution of said events. Through such collaboration, I was able to learn from my fellow GLOBE managers in addition to sharing my knowledge. Lastly, I was also able to spread the word about microfinance by speaking to prospective managers and I had the opportunity to raise money for a cause that I really care about. I will be eternally grateful to this program for allowing me to be a part of something big.

It has been such an honor to be a part of this program. It is a privilege to be able to experience what you are learning. This is without a doubt the most effective learning experience I have ever had. While my time as a manager has come to an end, I would love to assist future managers with their activities.

By: Emma Piti

Culminating Reflection

Throughout this semester many people thought that I was in a club rather than a class when it came to GLOBE. This is because GLOBE presents itself differently and is so much more than just a class to me and my peers. Signing up for GLOBE I never thought that it would have taught me so much. Sure, I initially signed up because it was part of my major and I thought it would be a great way to help others while in a class setting. But every other class that I took has taught me information that I will need for my major and my degree, while this course taught me that plus so much more. It taught me real-life skills that I will need for everyday life in the real world such as how to work better in groups and has even made me more globally aware of the environment, and more empathetic towards others because it taught me how different everyone's lives are. GLOBE taught me to be more grateful because so many people's lives are harder than mine. GLOBE also taught me skills I will need for the work environment such as how to present a PowerPoint with no flashcards in front of a group. Something I found interesting is that GLOBE taught me how to do this better than the public speaking class that I took sophomore year. Not only did GLOBE teach me all of this but it also made me feel so much more rewarded than a class where the students sit down and take notes.

Throughout the semester my team and I have worked on our fundraising and visibility goals that we set at the beginning, and I am very proud to say that we have achieved all of them. These goals include writing thank you notes to our many donors, having a bake sale to raise funds so we can continue to give our loans out, going around campus the week of Halloween, and giving out candy in exchange for change that students have in their pockets, going to high schools and speaking about our program, and raising money on GiveCampus for our WASH project. Although this semester was a busy one, this class is by far the best class I have taken at St. John’s and has a special place in my heart because it is my favorite part of my academic experience throughout my life so far.

On top of all of this, I have also made great connections through the amazing team that I worked with, and I have made friends through my classmates. I also got to work with an amazing professor who is an expert in her field. I truly recommend that everybody take this course. I know I am so grateful that I did.

Technology and Communications Team

By: Nina Allen

Culminating Reflection

The Fall semester is over and that means that GLOBE is too, at least in a way. Even though I may no longer be a GLOBE manager, I will still be in an active role in GLOBE. I look forward to what the future classes of GLOBE accomplish, and I hope to be able to help in every way possible. I look forward to the chance of coming back to the GLOBE class to help future managers. I want to be able to give back to the community that helped me develop in my school career and beyond. GLOBE has opened my eyes and helped me realize the schooling path that I would like to take and where that may lead me in the future.

GLOBE has been very influential in my life, and I hope that future managers enjoy it as much as I have this semester.

I have taken a lot of knowledge, skills, and perspectives away from GLOBE and these are lessons that I will carry with me throughout my life. In my opinion, every aspect of GLOBE is extremely important. The lectures were very informative and well-structured. They were clearly presented and there was a lot of information about microfinance and entrepreneurship that I learned. I believe that the oral reading summaries throughout the semester not only helped prepare us for the final presentation but have prepared us for the future if we need to present a subject to a group. This made me feel more comfortable and confident in my presenting abilities. I believe working as a team was extremely beneficial because it taught important skills that will carry over into corporate jobs.

GLOBE is a very rewarding experience because it creates a community while helping communities in developing countries and regions. It is humbling to know that my work as a GLOBE manager is helping people that I don’t know and that it’s making a difference in their lives and the lives of people around them. This is work that I would like to continue someway in the future.

GLOBE has also been very fun. While there is a lot of work that comes with the course, I have made a lot of new friends and I have enjoyed all the work that I’ve had to complete for this course. The bake sale fundraiser by the marketing team was also a lot of fun because baking is one of my hobbies and I was able to do it for a cause that is close to my heart. I also enjoyed working the bake sale with my fellow GLOBE managers.

Even though the semester is over, GLOBE will always remain close to my heart and a part of my life. This is an experience that I will never forget.

By: Isabel Romero

Culminating Reflection

As the semester comes to an end, I am filled with emotions. I feel blessed to have joined the GLOBE program because it was more than I expected! GLOBE provided me with knowledge, long-lasting friendships, and real-world experience.

When I first began GLOBE, I wasn’t too sure what to expect when it came to academics. However, I quickly learned although GLOBE was different from my other classes I was still going to be learning academic content like my other classes. I was able to learn about different aspects of micro-finance like the history, ethics, gender, and cultural correlation with microfinance, etc. It was a very insightful semester for me since I wasn’t aware of what microfinance was to the extent I do know. My favorite learning experience in this class was having our guest speaker, Edmund Klimek come in and talk about his experience with Amistad y Fe, a solidarity lending program in Guatemala. Amistad y Fe was very similar to GLOBE. However, I was still able to learn a lot from Edmund. His authenticity was very inspiring to me because he was not only genuine to us about his experience and the struggles Amistad y Fe had but through his story, I realized he was genuine to the people of Guatemala and that is how he was able to earn their trust.

The real-world experience the GLOBE program has provided me with is indescribable. I haven’t had an internship during my college years which made me nervous as a senior that had to step out into the “real world” soon. Yet, now after this semester, I feel more prepared to face the “real world” because I was able to learn and build on many valuable skills like teamwork, time management, and public speaking. I was always working with my team on all aspects of GLOBE media which improved my communication skills; over the semester I have become more vocal about my ideas! Time management was key when becoming a good GLOBE manager because it was important to stay up to date if not you would be holding up the class. For example, it was important for my team and me to get the campaign video out on time to have enough time to raise money. That being said, I had to work with my team every day to get this done on top of juggling my five other classes and two jobs. Once I get a “real world” job time management is key especially if you are assigned to multiple projects. Through our oral reading presentations, I was also able to practice my public speaking a lot. I have definitely seen improvement and although I wasn’t too happy to do these presentations at the beginning of the semester now, I feel appreciative.

Several friendships have been made during my time in GLOBE not only within my team but with other GLOBE managers in the class. Working in groups has definitely brought us closer and showed me the importance of teamwork. My favorite memory of GLOBE is the Halloween fundraising because it was the first time the whole class was able to bond. I believe the bond was made because we were all working together to achieve one goal. Unlike in class where we worked in our groups when we were fundraising, I was able to talk to other GLOBE managers and get to know them better. I really appreciate all the other GLOBE managers because they had unique perspectives that opened my eyes. I hope more St. John’s students get the opportunity to be part of this amazing program!