Baylor Business Students Gain Global Perspective Through Zambia Mission Trip

Baylor business students will have the opportunity to share their industry knowledge and skills through the Zambia Business Consulting mission trip.

Students attending the Zambia mission will work with aspiring entrepreneurs through career workshops, hosted by Family Legacy in Lusaka, Zambia.

Due to the little career guidance and training young Zambian men and women often receive, the unemployment rate in Zambia is nearly 45 percent. During Baylor students' time in Zambia, they will conduct several workshops which teach these young adults about resume writing, interviewing, customer service, sales and business plan writing.

"One of the biggest workshops is entrepreneurship business plan writing, as some of these students will need to try to start their own business to support their families," Amy Rhodes, manager of New Student Recruitment and Admissions at the Baylor Business School, said.

Rhodes, a team leader for the Zambia mission, is looking for 30 students who feel called to share their knowledge and serve others.

"I think the connections that the students make across the world are really special," Rhodes said. "It is a whole different way of sharing your faith. It’s feet on the ground, getting your hands dirty."

Maggie Kravchuk, a Wisconsin Senior who went to Zambia her freshman year, said she was drawn to this trip by her faith and the opportunity to share the knowledge she gained through her courses.

"Baylor really emphasizes vocation through your discipline and this mission trip was one of the best ways I have been able to do that," Kravchuk said.

Kravchuk said that the students benefitted most from the entrepreneurship business plan writing workshop and interviews with local businesses.

"I think their favorite lesson was the business plan because a lot of them aspire to start a business," Kravchuk said. "We also had some local businesses do interviews, some for practice and some to hire, so we did have a few students get jobs from this experience."

Not only do students get to share their knowledge and build lifelong connections, but they will also have the chance to go on a Safari. According to Rhodes, this experience allows students to reflect on the time they have had in Zambia.

"We end in a Safari on this trip to be able to take a few days to sit back and process what we’ve learned and what we want to come back with," Rhodes said.

An interest session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, from 4:30-5:30 pm in Foster 122. The application deadline has been extended to March 18. Students interested in participating in the Zambia Business Consulting mission trip should contact Amy Rhodes at Amy_Rhodes@baylor.edu and visit the BearsAbroad website.