On Tuesday, Nov. 16, the Los Angeles chapter of YAO brought international guest Susan Chunda, an Opportunity Malawi loan officer, to share her experience with over 250 students on Pepperdine University’s campus. Students were lined up outside waiting to hear from Susan and the YAO-LA chapter about microfinance.

Pepperdine students are especially excited about microfinance, as on-campus microfinance club president Rachel Williams and vice president Becca Faulkner have recruited over thirty members to their club and made “microfinance” a buzz word on campus. Prior to the main event, members of the microfinance club, called The Face of Microfinance, and YAO-LA team leaders met with Susan and Jon Yasuda, Opportunity’s SVP of resource development, for an informal dinner–a more intimate setting to discuss the work of Opportunity International.

Once the doors were opened to Elkins Auditorium, the students poured in and Rachel Williams welcomed her fellow students. Jon Yasuda made a Microfinance 101 presentation about Opportunity International and shared pictures of his recent Insight Trip to Malawi. Jon also interviewed Susan on stage, giving the students a well-rounded picture of what microfinance looks like in the field.

Many students were interested in joining YAO-LA and signed up to receive more information about becoming Campus Coordinators to represent Opportunity on-campus. If you’re a student, or know of a student, who’s looking to get involved in the work of Opportunity, please visit opportunity.org/students. If you’re a young professional or grad student, please check out the Young Amassadors for Opportunity (YAO) page to find a chapter near you!

-Written by Alison Oviedo, YAO-LA Core Team