Nicolas
Attending Hult International Business School in London for a 4 year degree in Business Administration 2023 - 2027
I received a full tuition scholarship award from Hult, however the significant toll of living expenses were too much for my family to take on. I saw this opportunity slip out of my grasp. The Monarch Effect Foundation believed in me and sponsored me before they were even formally running.
This foundation has given me a life-changing opportunity that will be critical in my education, as well as my life experiences. I am still in disbelief, but making every effort to prove my character, make them proud and be the type of person that changes the world.
STORY
Blog
Attending 2nd year, Hult International Business School, London, England
December 2024
This past month I have done a few things that I will remember for quite some time. In the beginning of November, I went to a Dia de Muertos event in Camden Market. There were mariachis, dancers, Mexican food stands, and a lot of fellow Mexicans. I went with a few friends and we all got to enjoy some birria tacos that were (for UK standards) quite good. I hung out with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, and my roommate finally finished my favorite show after I constantly had been asking him to watch it.
One of the most memorable things I have done this month is going to a speech by Ryan Holiday. He is the author or so many books on stoicism, and if you ask me, he is one of the greatest philosophers of the modern era. His speech dove into many different topics, all stemming from the four virtues of Stoicism: Wisdom, courage, discipline, and justice—and these topics have been discussed in several occasions in the MCI as well. It was an incredible learning experience, I even had the opportunity to ask him a question I—for the longest time, had been aching to ask. I was very satisfied with his answer, and very, very happy that I was able to go see him in person.
Unfortunately, shortly after that I had food poisoning and was completely out of service for a few days. However, I came back stronger than ever, prepared for my next big MUN conference, BathMUN. Around 15 of us delegates from HultMUN traveled to the city of Bath to attend to this conference that the University of Bath was hosting. I was tasked with adopting the position of the country of Venezuela in a (Model) United Nations Human Rights Council, with the topic of Voter Suppression, Electoral Fraud, and Manipulation. Crazy as it may sound… I won! I got first place out of my entire committee. Also, the HultMUN delegation got the “Best Large Delegation Award” so we were all very happy and proud. It really was so much fun, it felt amazing when they announced that we had won. Even though there was some major storm that canceled all trains back to London, the best large delegation of BathMun 2024 was able to figure it out… even if we got to London at 3am.
After this, I barely got any rest because I had to prepare for my next MUN the very next weekend: HultMUN, on home turf. I had less than 5 days to prepare a brand new position: Algeria, in a United Nations Security Council Committee, with the topic of The Question of Responding to Military Seizures of Power. Not only was this a major challenge because of the shortage of time to prepare, but it was also challenging because of the different dynamics in the UNSC committee, with the Veto Power from the Permanent 5 countries. I had to tailor the strategy I had applied to my previous two MUN conferences to be as successful as possible in this conference. Fortunately, I was able to win an award in this conference as well. That makes it three for three!
Throughout this month I have invested a lot of my time and energy into the MUN society. I am enjoying the experience quite a lot, as I believe it is the area where my career is headed in the future. This is also why I am taking it very seriously and competing to be selected to go to London International MUN, and Harvard WorldMUN, in the Philippines. These two “ultra-competitive” conferences host some of the best MUN delegations at the highest level of competition, and I am looking forward to being there.
November 2024
Early this month I went to an event called “Japan Matsuri London”, which consisted of authentic Japanese culture and stands in a square in central London. This was a very fun multicultural experience as I went with a few friends to enjoy and celebrate Japanese food and culture. I had lots of fun, and I was able to pick up some fun decoration for my new home!
This month has been crucial for the development of my career and my life. I would say the highlight of this month was the beginning of my involvement with the Model United Nations Club at my university. It consists in a roleplay of United Nations that many universities host at different points in time. At the beginning of the month I had a mock session at Hult, and later, we all went to University King’s College London and had an excellent start to this year of conferences. Out of 400 participants, 36 awards were given out, and Hult alone took 16, including one myself. This experience was amazing to say the least. It made me realize that I really like the subjects of politics, diplomacy and debating. The research that came before the event, the networking that came during, and the friends that came after made up for an unbelievable experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to continuing in the future.
Additionally, I have helped a good friend of mine with starting her business. She is selling authentic artisanal belts from Guatemala, and I have helped her with some modeling and marketing aspects. We have many ideas we are working on and I’m excited to see where it leads in the future. Furthermore, we had a very fun celebration of Day of the Dead in my university, we had mariachi show up and many people showed up to indulge in Mexican culture. It was great fun!
October 2024
Today marks one month since my return to London. I had a lovely summer vacation back home, I was able to see my friends and family, and I am grateful that during my time there I was able to see home with a new set of eyes. After being away for almost a whole year, I appreciated everything back home so much more. Everything I was taking for granted that I wasn’t even aware of. Seeing my parents, going to the beach, watching beautiful sunsets, eating tacos. These are just a few of the things that I appreciated more than I thought I could. Leaving home wasn’t easy, but it was a step I had to take to return my journey in London. I have no regrets.
After one month of returning, I’m glad to say I have settled into my new flat and turned into my new home. I’ve developed great chemistry with my roommate, which I greatly appreciate. It can be quite difficult to share a home with someone who is not part of your family, but I can say my best friend and I have no complaints with how things are. We both love the flat, and we are having a great time.
My current module in university is about politics, economics, and law. It has been by far the best and most interesting module I’ve taken. All of my professors are excellent and utterly interesting. They are passionate about what they teach and this radiates through their lectures. I myself am quite passionate about this subject, and I am thoroughly enjoying my current classes.
1 August 2024
Its been one month since I touched ground in Cabo and the feeling is difficult to explain. I feel like everything is different, yet still the same. I feel like I don’t want to leave, but at the same time I don’t want to stay. I feel like this was the home of Nico one year ago, it was everything I knew. And now, having gone out and seen so much of the world that I had not had the opportunity to experience before has made me realize how small my “everything” was. A small town in the west coast of Mexico was everything I knew, and now looking in retrospect— I have experienced more travel in the last year than I had experienced in my whole life.
My school abroad experience, not just in London but also outside of it has greatly broadened my scope of what is possible. I have met people that are making six figures a year by doing what they love and they are just one or two years older than me. There’s people that have found happiness in simplicity, and others that keep striving and seem that will never be fulfilled. All of last year has opened my eyes to how anything trully is possible. This realization has made me more ambitious with my personal goals, a recurring thought I used to have was when I would walk back home from class and I would see all the corporate employees walking out of the towers in the business district in Liverpool Street and thinking “I want to be like them”. One of the goals that I have now is to get an internship with one of these corporations for this summer (or the next) so that by the time I graduate university in 2027, I will have a full-time job with a sponsored work Visa, which will give me an opportunity to start a career in London— which is the ultimate goal.
Because of the broadening of scope that my school experience has brought me, I believe that my personality has greatly changed. Coming back home to the same people I loved has been a very intriguing experience. Seeing how i respond differently to different scenarios, taking into account how much I’ve matured in just one year, has trully made me realize how much I have changed. One challenge that I did face when coming back was that I was much colder with my words. I have friends who would be shocked by the way I spoke because they felt like I was upset about something. When in reality I wasn’t, taking into consideration the UK’s mannerisms are very cold and Mexico’s are the exact opposite, I did cut myself some slack. Eventually, I worked it out and my way of talking went back to normal— or to what it was one year ago.
Coming back has been a wonderful experience. Seeing my friends and family once again has been quite enjoyable. Doing the things I hadn’t done all year has felt amazing. Going to the beach, eating tacos, driving, swimming, snorkeling, and something as simple as laying down in the couch of my living room, has made me realize how much I really missed home.
Looking back at last year, and coming back now; it feels like two completely different lives. Almost as if last year was simply a very long dream I just woke up from. My life is utterly different here than what it is there. The things I do here, the people I hang out with, the mindsets people have… nothing can be compared. To put it more simply— compare the town of Los Cabos with the city of London. Any similarities? That’s how life feels right now.
As confusing as the feeling of living two lives may be, I am looking forward to going back to London to start with the 3rd semester and another year in the city that I now love so much. I’m excited to continue my path university and in my career, I am already looking for internships for summer, I want to make new friends with the people coming in the new intake, and looking forward to seeing my friends who made my last year so enjoyable.
15 June 2024
At just 9 days away from going back home after 10 months of being so far from it, memories I’ve made throughout this last year and memories from back home have been hitting me like tidal waves, giving me trouble sleeping. For the past weeks when I close my eyes, I remember everything I’ve gone through this last year… from having no idea of how to use public transport in London, to knowing the train stations and lines like the palm of my hand; or from having no idea what an “international experience” is like, to it becoming my new normal...
A few days ago I was speaking with a friend from back home about how before I had no clue what hanging out with a foreigner was like, and now, all my friends are from all over the world. Something that brings us together is that we are all foreigners in London. Who would’ve thought that I would become best friends with a Brazilian? Who would’ve thought that one night I hang out with my German friends, and the next with Iranians? Who would’ve thought that I’ve had team projects with people from Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Cambodia, Spain, Greece, Ivory Coast, Germany, and more? It is such a crazy feeling to realize how one year ago this wasn’t in any way, shape or form even a whim or a thought— and now, it's my daily routine.
It is an understatement to say I have thoroughly enjoyed this last year and that I could not be happier. I am extremely excited to go back home and see all my friends and family, and I am excited to come back to London, to my new apartment, to start the second chapter of this university experience. I am looking forward for what the future holds.
10 March 2024
I've gotten used to my new routine living in this new dorm. I have started experimenting a lot in the kitchen and I've come to realize that I really enjoy cooking! In fact, a couple weeks ago I went to a friend's apartment and cooked for 6 people. It was really nice and I had a lot of fun.
This whole parcial was very good. I really enjoyed all my classes and my new professors. I also had to do a project with a new team and it was great! The project was about the "futureproofing" of big companies. There is a lot I learnt in the past few weeks and even though some parts of the teamwork were challenging, we were all able to pull through and finish off the parcial with a great presentation! I am now in the last few days of my spring break or "reading week" which is what they call it in my school. In this week off school I've been able to relax and enjoy some time for myself. I stayed here in London and met a couple of new friends and discovered lots of new places!
The weather is slowly getting better and better. We are getting more sunlight, the temperature is a lot nicer now, and its not dark at 5pm anymore, which is always nice. Overall, getting used to the weather in winter was a little bit challenging, but that just makes it so much more enjoyable when there are nice days when the sun is out! I'm excited to think that there is much more of that to come and I'm looking forward to summer in London in the upcoming months.
February, 2024
A couple days before classes started I was able to go visit some family members in Rotterdam. For the first time in my life, I saw snow. The city was quite beautiful- and cold!
My return train had been cancelled so I had to get in a packed train headed to Paris and change in Brussels. For an hour and a half, I had to stand between the train coaches. I made some friends who shared my pain, it was an interesting experience.
I started my second semester on a very good note. I'm enjoying my new classes and professors, the project this term is on "future proofing" and it seems to be quite interesting.
Last week I finally moved out of my aunt's house and into my new dorm. It's really nice and I couldn't be happier that I'm much closer to school and in a very central area. My roommate, Josh, is a very nice guy and an excellent cook, I couldn't ask for more from a roommate.
It takes twenty minutes to get to university either by walking or on bus. I have enjoyed the walk because I got to walk down Liverpool Street, which has a beautiful view to the main towers in the center of London. I am very happy with my new dorm and commute to school. This semester is setting up to be a great one!
November, 2023
There is one month left to finish my first semester at Hult. I often reminisce on what my life used to be like back in Cabo. I am glad to say after 3 months I have been able to adapt to this new lifestyle, which I love. Taking a train every day to school used to be unthinkable to me back in Cabo, but now I know all the lines by memory and rarely find myself needing a map anymore. My career and studies are as good as I could've possibly imagined and the international experience so far has been extremely enjoyable. There is so much to learn and to see out there in the world... for example, Christmas in London! I am very excited about what's to come.
October, 2023
I have gotten used to living in London now. I know my way around, I know what to expect, and there are so many different things I have seen, I find it exciting to think that there is still so much left to experience. In regards to university, my team and I have been working on some projects and assignments in which we have to come up with a business idea from scratch and utilize the tools and concepts taught in the classes. A truly "Learning by doing" experience. My team members are brilliant. Every single person at the table always brings something of great value to the team, we all discuss and find a common ground on which we agree. I am very grateful for the chemistry and outstanding teamwork I have been able to achieve with my team. Additionally, there were a couple of friends from back home who came to visit London. I went out with them and showed them around. It was great fun and I was glad to see them again.
September, 2023
They say time runs by quickly when you´re having fun. Well, this first month felt like a few days to me. Diving into this new experience of university with students from all over the world has been wonderful. There is no way to describe the feeling when you are meeting a new person from Brazil, when suddently somebody from Germany joins the conversation, followed by a person from Kyrgyzstan. Getting to know all these people from completely different backgrounds has been an eye-opening experience for what´s out there... far, far from little Cabo. In this first module we started working in teams. There are 6 people in my team. They are from Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, United States, Luxembourg, and myself, Mexico. I have had such a good experience with this team. There is so much chemistry and motivation, I'm glad to say it was a great start to my new student career.
August, 2023
I started my enrollment at Hult International Business School thinking I had nothing to lose. Getting into that university was something that seemed so impossible and yet, something in me still wanted to try. At the same time, it was recommended that I apply as a candidate for the Hult Scholar Grant, a scholarship that could fully cover all tuition costs. With recommendations from my teachers, suddenly something that seemed a star too far and practically impossible now had glimmers of hope.
To obtain the scholarship I had to write an essay on my career goals and aspirations, and how I believed as a Hult student, I could achieve them. The essay moved me onto the final stage where I participated in a one-on-one virtual meeting with the scholarship judges for a question-and-answer type conversation. It was a month later that I received an email confirming I had been awarded a full tuition grant to their school in London, England!
I was happy and so excited and suddenly a new challenge presented itself: How I would actually get to London and afford the living expenses? In Mexico, my family always had enough capital to make ends meet. But in the UK, it was much more costly and my family had never anticipated these types of expenses for my university. The opportunity started to slowly slip out of my hands, in my sights the significant economic toll it would take on my family.
If it is possible to believe in luck, or coincidence, or maybe fate or destiny, somehow I was guided to meet with the founders of the Monarch Effect Foundation just as this chance of a life-time was going to evaporate. The foundation’s mission to build a better Cabo through education, creating a community of change and support and helping students like myself.
This foundation has given me a life-changing opportunity that will be critical in my education, as well as my life experiences. If anyone would’ve told me I would be moving to London one year ago I would have laughed in disbelief. It has been such a great experience seeing how something that seemed impossible is now taking shape and form, and it would not be possible without the Monarch Effect Foundation.