Editor’s note: This story is part of Dispatches from Abroad, a UChicago News series highlighting community members who are researching, studying and working around the world. The Panamericana program is managed by the College’s Summer Session team, in partnership with the Department of Economics.
Every summer, the hallways of the University of Chicago's Economics Department welcome a distinctive group of visitors—a cohort of 23 undergraduate economics students from Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City.
For two intensive weeks, these rising juniors and seniors immerse themselves in the analytical methods and innovative thinking that have long defined the University’s economics tradition.
The course, a survey of UChicago economics and its business applications, is now in its fourth year. Originating from conversations between UChicago Global and Panamericana’s international office about opportunities for collaboration, the partnership serves as more than just an academic exchange. By offering students an immersive experience in UChicago’s distinctive approach to economic education, the program embodies the University’s growing international influence, particularly in Latin America.
"When you think about economics, the University of Chicago is top of mind," explained Eugenio Gómez Alatorre, an economics professor at Panamericana who helps operate the partnership. "You have an amazing tradition of great thinkers in economics, a lot of knowledge that has been generated at this university, so we were very interested in partnering with the University of Chicago.”
For Melissa Valles, a rising Panamericana junior studying economics, learning in the same department where Nobel laureates once taught left a lasting impression.
"I'm seeing the root of so many things that I already learned at my university," she said. "I'm back in the place where these people—some Nobel Prize winners—were, and I was learning their formulas in my school. It's insane to me that I'm here, in their school."
Rooted in tradition
This connection to economic history shapes the program's design.
The two-week curriculum covers four foundational areas—finance, price theory, experimental economics and macroeconomics—all delivered by full-time lecturers from UChicago's Department of Economics. Students tackle problem sets and unit tests while developing skills essential for graduate study and professional careers, from interviewing techniques to academic communication.
The success of the program is helping to shape the College and University’s global engagement. According to Maria Lettiere, executive director of Summer Session and associate dean in the College, the economics partnership is a model for short-term, high-impact academic experiences for visiting students.
Building on that foundation, Summer Session plans to include more academic departments in future summers. By 2026, UChicago aims to adapt the program for a cohort of partner universities in Peru.
This summer, visiting students highlighted UChicago’s interactive teaching methods as a key difference that helped bring economic theory to life.
“It makes it way easier to understand things—and to actually make sense of them and know how to apply them to real life,” said Daniela Calzado, a rising senior studying finance. “I’ve had classes where I know the theory, but I don’t always know how to use it. Here, everything feels connected to something real.”
She said that shift in perspective was especially meaningful during discussions of game theory led by UChicago’s Victor Lima, senior instructional professor in economics. Calzado recalled learning the concept briefly in her first year and wanting to explore it further.
"He was talking about it, and it was so interesting how you can basically explain everything with economics," she said.
Alatorre agreed, describing the University’s approach as a defining feature of its economics tradition.
“The University of Chicago has a different way of thinking about economics," he noted. "The methodology of economics can be applied to many different things, and that is an innovative way of thinking about it."
Learning from entrepreneurs
The program also included entrepreneurship sessions, where students met with recent graduates and current business owners at different stages of their ventures. These conversations challenged preconceptions and opened new possibilities for careers beyond traditional finance and economics paths.
For Valles, hearing directly from young professionals made a strong impact.
"I learned so much from them. I like hearing the testimonies of people," she said. "Seeing people in their late 20s, seeing people that are doing those things, it really stuck with me—oh, I can do these things as well."
These sessions highlight the stages of business development, from students just graduating from Booth to founders with established companies. This relatable progression helps students visualize their own potential paths.
"I think you can picture yourself in them, because they're not apart from you,” said Santiago Zúñiga, another rising Panamericana junior. “Maybe they're graduates, but they're not Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos—they're just regular people trying to do something."
For Calzado, who had previously dismissed entrepreneurship entirely, the sessions prompted a shift in mindset.
"I always told myself; I'm never going to go into that. I hate that stuff,” she said. “[But] after finishing that class, I actually considered if someday I get an idea, I might do it."
‘You can feel the love for economics’
The two-week program concluded with a certificate ceremony in Saieh Hall for Economics, where faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the students’ work and participation.
Before returning to Mexico City, students shared that the program expanded their understanding of core economic concepts and inspired them to explore a wider range of academic and professional pathways.
Valles described falling "back in love with economics" during her time at UChicago.
"It's so inspiring being around people that love these things and being in a place where you can feel the love for economics," she said.
That enthusiasm, Alatorre said, reflects how UChicago encourages students to use economics as a tool for understanding the world.
“The University of Chicago began analyzing problems that weren’t traditionally part of economics—like marriage or crime—through its methodology,” he said. “Students learn that this way of thinking can be applied far beyond markets.”
Zúñiga said that perspective reshaped how he viewed the field.
"It just reminded me why I chose economics and how much good I could do for the world," he said.