By Mary Shelley-Snell and Kyra Barrier
In January, the Herbert College of Agriculture and the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture launched a pilot study abroad program to Costa Rica designed specifically for first-year students. The group was led by Ryan Sharp, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources with a specialization in outdoor recreation and park management, Denita Hadziabdic-Guerry, associate professor and Fulbright scholar to Ghana in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and Kyra Barrier, Herbert College Study Abroad Coordinator. In conjunction, the program included fifteen Herbert first-year undergraduate students. The Public Use Planning Program Global Heritage Consortium (PUP), based in Costa Rica, assisted in making this a highly experiential program, providing the group with an international context for the challenges and opportunities facing the agriculture and natural resources fields.
Herbert students participating in the Costa Rica study abroad program.
The idea of a first-year focused study abroad program was first piloted by the Smith Center team in the spring of 2023. The goal was to create an immersive course that would give students a broad foundation of knowledge on international agriculture and natural resources. Sharp and Hadziabdic-Guerry were then approached to help lead the program. “I wanted to be involved in a first-year program because it gives students an early foundation for international engagement, shaping their confidence and curiosity from the start of their academic journey at UT,” Hadziabdic-Guerry said regarding her participation. “This course was especially impactful, as it encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones, engage with diverse perspectives, and, for many, travel outside of Tennessee or even the country for the first time. Most importantly, they learned that we are far more similar to the rest of the world than we are different.”
Sharp then reflected on how co-leading this program opened his eyes to how studying abroad is a significant growth opportunity for students, “Experiencing different cultures is an amazing way for students to understand there is a larger world outside of their own. The opportunity to be involved in the development of the first year study abroad experience allowed me to see how impactful these trips can be.”
Students engaged with the role parks and protected areas play in conserving natural resources, maintaining sustainable plant and animal populations, promoting ecosystem health and services and providing recreation opportunities. They learned about environmental conservation in protected parks and lands as well as rainforest biology. All of this was done through experiences like going to a Tirimbina Biological Reserve and Rainforest Lodge, visiting cloud forests and volcanoes and working with a wellness park to plant trees that will contribute to the biological corridor. They even engaged with Costa Rica wildlife conservation efforts by participating in a bat tour where they learned about the social impact of bats.
“I didn’t expect the biodiversity we encountered in Costa Rica. We learned that it’s so diverse because of the variety of environments they have there. For example, the climate was different around the volcano than it was in the rainforest. This leads to a greater diversity of plants and animals, and better adaptation to differing climates,” Kyla Metzger, a first-year Herbert student studying wildlife health with a pre-vet focus, explained about her experience during this program. “Being able to interact with this idea in such an immersive setting gave me the chance to learn about it in a more in-depth way. It’s so different from just learning about biodiversity in a classroom.”
During their week in Costa Rica, the first year students learned about in-country chocolate production and how it compares to the way chocolate is made around the world. They also engaged with the Peace Corps volunteers stationed in Costa Rica. This was a great opportunity for the students to think about how this program could impact their future professional goals. Overall, this course gave the students a glimpse of international conservation efforts they can continue to engage with throughout their future studies and careers.
“It was a valuable opportunity to connect with our students and witness firsthand how global opportunities can impact them,” Barrier explained. “Being able to experience this inaugural study abroad program alongside these students and seeing their growth has made me feel a new level of dedication to continue offering this program so that even more first-year students can have access to it in the future.”
Herbert is working towards the goal of achieving fifty percent of students graduating with an international experience. This first-year program is a major step towards this achievement because it is accessible to a greater number of students due to its lower cost and offers a comprehensive introduction to global agriculture and natural resources. The Smith Center has worked hard to double the number of Herbert students that have graduated with a global experience since 2019. We look forward to seeing how we can further that work through programs like this one in the future.
Stay tuned to learn more about how these students were able to #GrowGlobal through this program in their own words through our Study Abroad Stories series!