This past month, our team in Brazil organized an outreach event in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul that aimed to bring the Aspire Leaders Program to young people at the Scientific Exhibition (in Portuguese: Mostra Científica). This event rewards the most innovative projects from students across the state.
Our co-founder Karim Lakhani visited Insper, a partner university of the Aspire Institute in Brazil, to give a talk on Digital Transformation and AI: What Every Young Leader Should Know. Alumni around the globe joined the event digitally, and several were able to attend in person. Karim spoke about the trends and opportunities that AI brings to young leaders and how they can understand and adapt these technologies for their professional development and to benefit their communities. He also spent some time engaging in discussions and exchanging ideas with alumni from Brazil.
Towards the end of the month, our co-founder, Tarun Khana, traveled to Brazil as well. He met Aspire Institute Brazil representative, Aline Santos, and Dâmares Bernardino, an alumna of the class of 2022. They spoke about the plans for the Aspire Leaders Program in the country and the following actions to expand the program for Brazilian youth. Dâmares shared the program’s main benefits for her personal and professional life and her plans for the future after completing the program.
“It was very positive to have contact and create a network with people from all over the world to have access to various courses, certifications, and awards,” Dâmares said. “Now I’m able to apply my knowledge on what was explored in the program.”
As an undergraduate in international relations, she directed her life towards a new purpose after finishing the Aspire Leaders Program. She left her job in the financial sector to pursue a career in social projects and sustainability.
In addition, we established new partnerships with three universities: University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), and Pontifical Catholic University (PUC). Aspire Institute and Alliance for Innovation, an initiative that aims to enhance high-impact actions to advance the ecosystem of innovation, development, knowledge, and entrepreneurship, also established a partnership. We will work together to improve the youth’s leadership capability, with intent to generate social impact in the region.
