Wharton Leadership Venture to Chilean Desert Provides Unique Learning Experience
July 22, 2011Before coming to Wharton’s EMBA program, Hanson Wong, a principal consultant at Risk Management Solutions in New Jersey, had never swum in the waters of Antarctica, hiked across a desert or summited a volcano. In fact, he had never even gone camping much less rappelled down mountains or zip lined across steep chasms. However, during his two years at Wharton, he did all of these things through the Wharton Leadership Ventures Program.
“My first venture was to Antarctica, which most people only ever see from a cruise. We not only camped there, but a few of us also decided to jump in the water twice. How many people can say they did that?” says Wong, noting that he added on a week of hiking in Patagonia after that venture.
The first few days, says Wong, the group trekked through the desert with their guides to acclimate to the high altitude before summiting a volcano. “That was a huge highlight because I’m afraid of heights and have never been that high before. I chose this venture because I knew I’d be out of my comfort zone.”
To learn more about leadership during the venture, students were placed into teams each day with two students per team assigned to leadership roles. Their job was to organize, delegate and strategize with their teams to accomplish specific tasks such as getting to selected destinations throughout the region. Afterward, the students discussed how each leader performed, analyzing what went well and what could be improved.
“You learn a lot about leadership on these treks while having a great experience in places you probably wouldn’t go to on your own,” says Wong. “You also get to bond with a lot of full-time MBA students, which is another great reason to go.”
Of course, the ventures are not without their challenges, he warns. “I endured a few cactus needle pricks, sub-freezing temperatures at night, and a week without a shower. But it was all worth it because these ventures were one of the best parts of my Wharton experience. They are really a great opportunity to learn more about yourself.”
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