 During my trip with my Michigan State University students to the Yucatán in January of 2025, we visited with the Señora Chan in the village of Ek Balam. She makes gorgeous cotton hammocks. Some people in the Yucatán sleep in them. In older homes and hotels, hammock hooks are built into the walls of bedrooms. Today there are lots of hammocks in the gardens of hotels and private gardens, but, generally, hooks are not built into walls of newer hotel rooms and houses. I have owned several full - sized handmade hammocks from Mexico, but I don’t have a place to hang them where I live now. Nevertheless, small ones serve purposes other than as a “bed.” In the past, I heard vendors call out selling tiny “hamacas para Barbie.” I don’t have Barbies to put in them, but I use the mini-hammocks in my pantry to store onions and potatoes. . |   At the left is a photoe of our visit with Señora Chan. Above are two small hammocks I brought home to Michigan. |
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Congratulations to my Spartan Global Development Fund students. This is their second "Social Contributor of the Year" award in two years. This is an annual award in the Broad College of Business, Michigan State University. I am SO proud of our current student team, past students, and the hard-working alumni on our board of directors: Nikolai Wasielewski, Nicole Whaley Gorton, Himani Rajput, Kyleen Hall, and Zoe Linko. I am grateful to each of you for your hard work and passion as you make a difference in the lives of others around the world.  |
 Paulette L. StenzelAs Professor Emerita of International Business Law and Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU), I continue to advise Spartan Global Development Fund, a student-driven microfinance organization, and serve on its non-profit 501(c)(3) Board of Directors. I also serve the community through talks on grassroots tools of sustainability. Archives
August 2026
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