Radio Miami- Radio para la difusion de ideas

Paola Osorio

When self-avowed Francophile Paola Osorio learned of her acceptance into a select, all-expenses-paid internship in France, the undergraduate international business student was understandably “blown away.” As one of only 23 students worldwide to land a spot in the Centre International de Rencontres Universitaires, Osorio savored the unique opportunity to be immersed in French culture and exposed to the country’s major financial, cultural, and business institutions.

For eight weeks last summer, Osorio lived in Toulouse, where she studied the economy of South France and met with elected officials, business executives, and community leaders. She toured the Airbus manufacturing plant, observing firsthand the operations and management of one of the world’s leading aircraft companies.

“As an international business major, it’s great to visit other countries and experience new ideas and ways of doing things.”

—Paola Osorio, international business major

Osorio’s intense curiosity about the world and its cultures seems matched by an incredible drive that allows her to attend school full time and work full time in the wealth management division of Colombia-based Bancafe International. Despite her demanding schedule, she exhibits a seemingly boundless appetite for everything she does.

Student honors father’s memory, influence by putting forth her best.

In encountering that energy, it is hard to imagine that barely a year ago she suffered a loss so great it threatened to derail her educational pursuits. Her father, Francisco, died suddenly of a heart attack in the family’s home, and Osorio was alone with him at the time.

“I considered dropping out of school, I was so down,” she said. “But I couldn’t disappoint my dad in that way because he had always been my model and wanted so much for me. It’s hard to receive an award or a recognition that I can’t share with him, but then I realize that he’s always with me.”

In addition, her closeness to her mother, whom she describes as a “big inspiration,” has helped Osorio move forward. College life also offers opportunities for involvement (Osorio has been president of the French club and currently is a student ambassador) and travel (she went on a school-sponsored trip to France in 2004 and a study abroad program to Ireland and France in August, 2007), the things that seem to feed her soul.

“It feels great to be part of an institution that is constantly growing and making a difference,” she said.