Young Entrepreneurs at SMU Emphasize International Connections

The day after the November presidential election, many of the Mexican international students on the Southern Methodist University campus were filled with confusion and uncertainty about their future.Donald Trump's rhetoric against Mexican immigrants had created a climate of fear that is still prevalent throughout the country.It further energized Rodrigo Ricaud, a junior at SMU, to send off a letter to former Mexican President Felipe Calderón inviting him to speak to a new group he had co-founded last year on campus — the Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos/Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs, SMU chapter.When the call came from Calderón's secretary accepting the invitation, "it was beyond exciting," recalled Ricaud, the group's president.He had seen and heard about the number of business people who were becoming discouraged and uncertain about engaging in trade between the U.S. and Mexico. He was hoping Calderón could address the importance of maintaining a positive bilateral relationship. He did. Calderón addressed the group on March 30 at the Cox School of Business. And it was everything the students could have hoped for and more, Ricaud said.  Continue reading...