Wheaton Wire

Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Benner Boswell ’11 Ryan Onell Letada '08 learned the key to making a difference was following his passion at the Harvard Business School summer program.

Business wasn't the only thing that senior Ryan Onell Letada learned at Harvard Business School's (HBS) week long Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP). The economics major joined other rising seniors to help develop a broader understanding of the business world and pressures that leaders are confronted with, as well as to increase diversity and opportunity in the world of business.

Letada, who originally heard about SVMP through the Posse Foundation, was challenged on academic, professional and personal levels. The program, first and foremost, allowed participants to experience the case study method, forcing them to take the perspective of the protagonist. HBS professors encouraged debates and the lessons learned were applicable both in and out of the classroom.

At the end of the week, Letada was amazed by the transformation he had gone through. As an aspiring social entrepreneur, he was able to stay true to himself and "express [his] passion for producing a positive social impact through a successful business." Most importantly, Letada left SVMP a better scholar, individual and dreamer, all of which will help him pursue his goal of founding a non-profit organization in the Philippines.

Letada urges marginalized and underrepresented students to look into SVMP. These "groups tend to be risk adverse." They want to be doctors or investment bankers because of social pressure or the desire to make money. However, at SVMP, Letada learned that the most important thing is to pursue one's passion and that the dots will inevitably connect in the future.

During one of his case study sessions, Letada was impacted by the words of HBS professor, Francis Frei: "Follow your passion," he said, "and I guarantee you'll change the world. Don't and you'll forever be known as a great performer." Keeping this in mind, Letada is one step closer to achieving his goal of social entrepreneurship and making a difference.

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