Three women students from La Araucanía win entrepreneurship program scholarship and will travel to Boston

Ana Quinteros (63), Jessica Mercado (37), and Scarleth Cárdenas (22), technical and vocational education students from Temuco, were awarded a full scholarship to travel to Babson College in Boston following their outstanding participation in the course “Entrepreneurship as a Life Skill,” promoted by Fundación Luksic in partnership with the renowned U.S. business school.

The course aims to strengthen skills such as creativity, adaptability, and collaborative problem-solving, promoting a practical approach to entrepreneurship that can be applied to different areas of life.

A total of 31 participants took part in the program — students from INACAP, Santo Tomás, AIEP, and IPCHILE — who were divided into groups to tackle different challenges designed to strengthen their entrepreneurial mindset. Throughout the process, they were guided by Babson College faculty members who traveled specially to Chile: Andrew Corbett, Academic Director of the Butler Institute for Free Enterprise Through Entrepreneurship, and Eliana Crosina, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship.

“International education is not always accessible due to costs or language barriers, so it is essential to promote experiences that bring these opportunities closer to more people while strengthening skills for personal, academic, and professional development,” said Fernanda Orellana, Training Manager at Fundación Luksic.

From Temuco to Boston

In July 2027, the winners will spend a week in an immersion experience at Babson College, recognized as one of the world’s leading entrepreneurship schools. There, they will have the opportunity to connect with students from around the globe, form multicultural teams, and participate in challenges, classes, and hands-on activities focused on leadership, innovation, and project creation.

Jessica Mercado, 37, is one of the winners of the third edition of the course, held in March 2026. She is currently studying Social Work at AIEP and shares that she had previously pursued Social Services, a degree she was unable to complete due to unforeseen circumstances. She returned to her studies with the goal of specializing in childhood and adolescence. She says that traveling to Babson College “means an opportunity for learning and growth” and, on a personal level, “is a dream come true,” as she is the first in her family to pursue a professional degree and have the opportunity to travel abroad to learn new entrepreneurship methods and tools.

Another winner is Ana Quinteros, originally from El Salvador, who has lived in Temuco for eleven years. At 63, she is studying Business Administration Engineering at IPCHILE while also working as a cashier. Ana believes she did well by presenting simple ideas, “turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.”

The third standout participant is Scarleth Cárdenas, who is 22 years old and studies Gastronomic Administration at INACAP.

The 31 participants were supported by members of the Luksic Scholars community. Mentors especially highlighted the participants’ ability to adapt, collaborate, and transform personal experiences into practical solutions.

“It is a human being who must guide AI, define objectives, formulate questions, and make decisions about which path to follow. That is why I believe creative thinking will be even more important in the future. Creativity is not an innate gift, but a skill that can be developed and trained. And this type of experience encourages participants to be creative and to exercise more the ‘knowing what’ than the ‘knowing how,’” reflected Álvaro Hofflinger, Luksic Scholar and professor at the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University.

The course “Entrepreneurship as a Life Skill” had previously been held in the Los Lagos and Antofagasta regions, benefiting more than 65 technical and vocational education students. Of them, eight received scholarships for an in-person immersion experience at Babson College in Boston, United States.