Small business owner
Ecuador 2003-05
Gina Pastega Smith ’96, MBA ’00 made use of her Santa Clara business degree in Ecuador from 2003-05, helping with a sustainable woods projects called Ecomadera. Her first year she worked mostly within this outfit, teaching bookkeeping, accounting, and marketing to the locals, and helping them open markets for products made of sustainably grown wood. During her second year she branched out beyond the Ecomadera project and started a few others, including two women’s groups, a community library, and a children’s community nursery. Gina has since gone back to her community in Ecuador, and she says she is planning on returning for more service later in life.