Student Profile: Nick Coppola

Nick pictured volunteerig with children from La Chureca in March 2009

Program and year: MBA '10
Hometown: Wayne, NJ
Number of visits to Nicaragua: 3

Which seminars did you teach? Financial Budgeting and Record Keeping

Favorite Project Nicaragua memory: 

Helping Caleb Mendoza understand his cost structure.  During our consulting session, we worked through an Excel spreadsheet that we created to identify fixed and variable costs, contribution and break-even.  Caleb was extremely excited to be given new tools to help his business succeed.  Our group worked together to create a consulting deliverable that made a significant impact on Caleb and his mother’s business.  

What was your greatest learning moment on this trip?

The greatest lesson I have learned on my trips to Nicaragua is the importance of flexibility.  This past trip, we created a new answer key for the record keeping seminar on the fly.  Later the next day, the seminar was successfully completed in both the beginner and advanced sections.    

What surprised you the most about Nicaragua and your experience visiting the country?

The Nicaraguan business owners are extremely sharp.  They have practical business skills developed through many years of experience.  In the Organizational Behavior seminar, the business owners spent time teaching us!  Our job is to simply provide further technical skills and offer new perspectives for them to consider as they run their businesses. 

How has Project Nicaragua affected your business school experience?

Project Nicaragua has profoundly impacted me.  Never having traveled to Latin America, I was confronted with poverty and called to help.  I believe that many of us will continue to provide assistance through donations of time or money throughout the rest of our lives.