Everyone can learn something from Estefania (“Nia”) Guillen Pascacio. She’s the definition of dedication; she sets her goals high and works hard to achieve them. Pascacio has lived in Columbia, Mo. for the last two years to attend Mizzou’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, but she’s over 3,000 miles away from her hometown of La Chorrera, Panama.
Already, the twenty-seven-year-old has lived in America twice, studied abroad in Italy, received the renown Fulbright Scholarship, worked for the Japanese company Ricoh and gained several promotions within the company.
Next on her list? Graduate with her master’s from Mizzou, marry her boyfriend of 10 years, raise awareness about domestic violence in her home country and start a non-profit for Panamanian women entrepreneurs.
Pascacio’s journey began her senior year of undergraduate school. She was studying civil engineering at a university in Panama when she applied for and received a scholarship to study for a year in the U.S. The U.S. Embassy matched her profile with a school, and in 2011, she ended up at Mizzou.
“I always had the dream that I wanted to go [to the U.S.],” Pascacio said. “I was very into movies when I was growing up, and I’d always been interested in the U.S. culture.”
According to Pascacio, Panama doesn’t have many big college campuses like the U.S. Most students commute back and forth to school each day. She longed to have the U.S. college experience and the independence that accompanies it.
“Also, I wanted to polish my English,” Pascacio said. “I took English at my university, but I felt that I needed a learning experience. Once you immerse yourself in a country where only that language is spoken, you push yourself to learn more and learn quickly.”
During her first nine-month trip to America, Pascacio never visited Panama. She says communicating with her family over Skype and What’sApp is what kept her sane.
“I could have gone home over winter break,” Pascacio said. “Other scholarship winners went home, but I wanted to fully embrace the experience of being here in a different country.”
During the break, she traveled to both the west and east coasts with her friend.
Pascacio says that she isn’t as homesick now during her second stay in the U.S.
“It’s easier because I have my family away from my family — my classmates that I’ve been able to establish really good relationships with,” Pascacio said. “I have friends from Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, China, India and American friends, too.”
Pascacio says that’s the best part about going to a university in the U.S.
“I have so many different cultures in one little space, which is actually one of the greatest privileges you can have being on a college campus like this,” Pascacio said. “You can learn so many different things from different people.”
After her first year in the U.S., she returned to Panama, where she finished her schooling and started searching for jobs. According to Pascacio, job searching with her civil engineering degree was difficult because it is very competitive in the home of the Panama Canal.
In May 2012, she accepted a position as a receptionist for Ricoh, a Japanese company that has subsidiaries around the world. In the next three years, Pascacio would switch positions several times — first to general manager assistant, then to marketing analyst. During her time as the general manager assistant, she assisted the human resources and sales departments, and when a position for marketing analyst opened, she seized the opportunity. It was through this process that Pascacio fell in love with business and decided she wanted to enroll in an international MBA program.
“I didn’t have the resources available because I knew a degree here costs so much money, so I decided to apply to another scholarship called the Fulbright Scholarship,” Pascacio said.
She embarked on a year-and-a-half-long process of applications, interviews, English tests and screenings, ending in the terrific news that she had been chosen as one of four Panamanian Fulbright Scholars, a prestigious scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Embassy.
Upon acceptance into the program, Pascacio applied to three American universities, but she already knew where she wanted to go. On August 22, 2015, she was back at Mizzou.
While at Mizzou, Pascacio has embarked on two Mizzou Alternative Break (MAB) trips, along with a study abroad program in Paderno del Grappa, Italy for three weeks. Both of her MAB trips have focused on women’s advocacy, something she’s extremely passionate about. She says that though she hasn’t experienced any type of domestic violence in her lifetime, she has friends that have experienced that and other toxic relationships.
“I see that in my country. It’s a taboo topic,” Pascacio said. “I’m looking forward to going back to my country to start a campaign teaching people how to address the issue. I think we should have these hard talks instead of just avoiding it.”
However, as a businesswoman, Pascacio’s main focus upon her return to Panama will be empowering other women in her field. She says she’s glad that Panamanian women are overcoming all types of stereotypes, breaking into leadership positions, raising their voices and becoming more competitive, but she knows they still need help.
“We [Panamanian women] are now looking forward to being more than just moms and staying at home,” Pascacio said. “We want so much from life. We want a career and a successful professional path, and we are definitely able to accomplish that.”
Therefore, Pascacio plans to start a non-profit organization to provide the resources, connections and mentorship necessary for women who want to establish their own business. She says while most businesses fail before their second year, if they pass that threshold, they’re likely to succeed. She’s seen so many great entrepreneurial resources here, and she’s excited to establish that level of support for the women in her country.
After graduation, Pascacio plans to accept a product manager position for Ricoh in Florida and gain as much knowledge as she can before returning to her country in December. Upon her return, she will marry her fiancé, Gian, in January.
“I want to be an example that you can reach your goals and also have a personal life and family,” Pascacio said.
Pascacio told me that after she starts her non-profit, she may consider working in Europe for a few years. Then she laughed and said, “But who knows? The sky is the limit. Whatever you want to accomplish, you can do it.”