This spring, UVA McIntire School of Commerce students in the M.S. in Global Commerce (MSGC) will travel across the world for their capstone Social Impact Project (SIP). The projects are taking them to Kenya, Spain, Ghana, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia, where for five weeks, they will take on the role of consultants, putting the skills they’ve learned in the MSGC program to work.
But this experience isn’t just study abroad 2.0 for students; it’s global consulting with real stakes.
We caught up with three students to hear about their projects and what they’re currently working on. From expanding digital access in Ghana to scaling a circular-economy enterprise in Kenya to strengthening long-term education initiatives in Mexico, these students are delivering strategy that drives measurable change. Their projects reflect what the MSGC program is all about: combining global business expertise with meaningful, on-the-ground impact.
The dynamic nine-month program offered in partnership with top-ranked ESMT Berlin is an accelerated international master’s in management program. It delivers an unparalleled learning experience that blends cutting-edge skills in finance, marketing, strategy, and AI with invaluable international exposure. Students spend the fall in Charlottesville learning on UVA’s Grounds, developing essential professional skills through the Global Business Core coursework. Then, they head to ESMT Berlin to complete additional core classes, electives, and seminars in preparation for the capstone SIP. Finally, students head out to locations across the globe to work on their SIP.
In less than a year, students live and learn on two continents, and then apply the knowledge they’ve gained to solve an issue in a third location.
A core component of the MSGC program, the SIP serves as a final project that offers all students the unique opportunity to act as management consultants for organizations with specific societal objectives. The immersive experience takes place in an international setting of their choice, where they address real-world challenges, engage in hands-on fieldwork, and manage projects that aim to solve pressing societal issues.
Students work in blended, cross-cultural teams, choosing to source and select their own project or collaborate with established global partners. Teams are supported by a dedicated SIP coordinator and alumni mentors, ensuring their ideas translate into actionable results.
The result? Projects that don’t just look good on a résumé, but drive outcomes that are measurable, transformative, and impactful.
Isabelle Klein (M.S. in Global Commerce ’26)
SIP: Little Things Matter Foundation
Location: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Isabelle Klein is working with the Little Things Matter Foundation, a Mexico-based organization focused on education and economic development. Her team is building a multiyear business strategy, donor outreach plan, and impact measurement framework designed to strengthen the foundation’s long-term sustainability.
“We’re working directly with the co-founder and president. The goal is to leave them with something they can actually use and build off of,” she says.
Recommending fresh ideas to the executives is only part of the story, as the real-world work will require the students to implement their ideas as functional solutions.
Beyond the business challenges Klein is tackling, she’s especially excited about immersing herself in the local community and understanding the real people behind the metrics.
“Community buy-in is huge from those they serve. It’s how they create impact,” she explains.
Brennan Curi (M.S. in Global Commerce ’26)
SIP: OceanSole (Ocean Waste Management)
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Traveling to Nairobi, Brennan Curi and his team are working with OceanSole, a Kenya-based social enterprise that transforms discarded flip-flops and ocean waste into colorful art and sustainable products.
As part of the project, Curi coordinated a working session with OceanSole CEO Erin Smith (M.S. in MIT ’04), giving the team direct access to leadership and a clearer understanding of the company’s long-term strategy.
“We were able to write down important details from that conversation and communicate updates back to ESMT Berlin, especially as we refined our approach and aligned on partnering organizations,” he explains.
Their mission? Identify the most promising country for OceanSole’s expansion and build a strategy for market entry, balancing sustainability, operational feasibility, and scalable impact.
“It’s important for us to go out and have conversations with our clients,” Curi says. “But we also have to have a foundational understanding of what we’re talking about when we have those conversations. That’s where the academic intersects with the real world.”
The project combines strategy with purpose, where classroom frameworks meet environmental innovation and entrepreneurial growth.
Emma DeMarco (M.S. in Global Commerce ’26)
SIP: Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation
Location: Winneba, Ghana
DeMarco and her team are partnering with the Charlottesville-Winneba Foundation, connecting the hometown location of UVA with Winneba, Ghana, through a sister city program. They’ll support technology initiatives with a local organization and lead digital marketing and awareness efforts for Winneba’s largest annual event, the Aboakyer Festival, a vibrant, weeklong cultural celebration rooted in the Effutu traditions of the central Ghana-based people.
“Our main initiative right now is working with Coast Bridge Academy, a technology school, but right now, they have only four computers and two working ones,” DeMarco says. “They teach their students on chalkboards how to use technology and computers.”
Currently, her team is pitching to investors in an attempt to acquire donations to fund the purchase of about 30 computers for the school.
For DeMarco, the impact is tangible: expanding digital access while helping elevate a major cultural celebration to a broader audience.
“Getting that real-life experience working on a different continent in a place like Ghana is going to be really interesting. We’ll definitely have to adapt, but we’re super excited and ready to tackle the project head on.”
