The People Behind CASA
By Valentina Vicuña
Student Operations Manager
When I arrived in Boston to start my MBA at Babson College in September 2024, I was excited, nervous, and aware that I was beginning a new chapter of my life.
I came from Colombia with years of professional experience, a career I had built, and a clear reason for pursuing an MBA. Yet moving to another country made me feel as though I was starting from zero in many other parts of my life.
Things that had once been simple suddenly required research. Where should I live? How would I find a roommate? How did renting an apartment in Boston work? How would I get around? How did recruiting work in the U.S.? What paperwork did I need? And who could I ask when I didn’t even know what questions to ask?
Two years later, I can see how much I learned in those first weeks.
Starting Over, Even When You’re Not Starting from Zero
One of the biggest lessons of my experience was learning to be comfortable without all the answers.
There were moments when I felt capable professionally but had no idea how something basic worked in the U.S. Moving abroad isn’t only an academic adjustment. You’re learning a new system while trying to perform at your best.
That can mean figuring out housing, banking, transportation, phone plans, healthcare, networking, recruiting, and immigration requirements, all while classes are beginning and you’re trying to meet people.
My advice to incoming international students is simple: ask questions early. You don’t have to figure everything out alone. Someone has probably faced the question you’re asking now.
Community Changes Everything
If I could give my first week self one piece of advice, it would be to build community from day one.
Some of my best MBA experiences came from the people I met. I became involved in the Babson community and served as a leader of the Graduate LATAM Club, where I had the opportunity to organize events and bring students together.
That experience taught me that community is more than having people to socialize with. It becomes a support system. It’s the person who tells you how they found their apartment, the classmate who explains something about recruiting, the friend who recommends a restaurant that reminds you of home, or the person who introduces you to someone who becomes part of your professional network.
Don’t wait until you need a community to start building one.
Go to the event. Introduce yourself. Join the club. Ask someone to grab coffee. Some of the most important opportunities of my MBA began with conversations that seemed small at the time.
Your International Background Is an Advantage
I also learned not to see my international background as something I needed to overcome.
When you’re recruiting in the U.S., it can be easy to focus on what makes you different. English may not be your first language. An American recruiter may not recognize the companies where you worked. Networking norms may be unfamiliar.
But being international gives you a valuable perspective. I came to Babson after years of working in Latin America. I understood consumers, cultures, and businesses from another point of view. My MBA didn’t replace that experience; it added to it.
Over the past two years, I’ve become more confident telling that story. I’d encourage incoming students to do the same. Explain the scale and impact of your work. Give people the context to understand it. Navigating different countries and cultures is itself evidence of adaptability.
Build Your Life, Not Just Your Resume
It’s easy to arrive in the U.S. focused on the next milestone: an internship, a job, a GPA, or an offer.
Those things matter. But some of my favorite memories from these two years have nothing to do with my resume. They came from friendships, trips, events, conversations, and celebrations. Boston gradually stopped feeling like a city I had moved to and became a place where I had built a life.
Your graduate program will go quickly. Take your goals seriously, but don’t postpone enjoying the experience until everything is figured out. There will always be something else to figure out.
Why CASA Became Personal for Me
My experience as an international student is part of why working at CASA has been meaningful.
Today, I help students navigate many of the questions I once had. I’ve helped incoming students think through housing, neighborhoods, roommates, transportation, insurance, furniture, and the small details involved in moving to Boston.
Because I’ve been on the other side of that transition, I understand that a question such as “Where should I live?” can carry a lot of uncertainty when you’re making the decision from another country.
That’s what I appreciate about what we’re building at CASA. Students don’t need someone to make every decision for them. They need trusted information, local context, and people they can turn to when an unfamiliar process feels overwhelming. Sometimes that means helping someone understand the Boston housing market. Sometimes it’s connecting them with a resource. Sometimes it’s simply being the person they can message when they’re unsure where to start.
Two Years Later
When I look at a photo from my first week at Babson, I see how much has changed beyond completing my MBA.
I built friendships and a community thousands of miles from home. I gained professional experience in the U.S. I organized events and helped other international students connect. I learned to navigate uncertainty, ask for help, and advocate for myself.
Now, through CASA, I can use those lessons to help the next group of students arriving in Boston.
If you’re preparing to make that move, come prepared, but don’t expect yourself to have everything figured out. Ask questions. Build your community early. Be proud of where you come from, and make room to enjoy the experience while you’re living it.
Eventually, some of the things that feel overwhelming in your first weeks may become the things you help the next international student figure out.
