Other Experiences
Study Abroad in Costa Rica
Elizabeth Eaton majored in Journalism with minors in Spanish and Environmental Science
Going to Costa Rica was an amazing opportunity to see and experience environmental science first-hand, instead of reading about it in a text book. It’s one thing to hear about the effects of climate change, and a completely different thing to be able to see it.
In Costa Rica, I was shown just how strongly the biodiversity of orchids had dropped due to fluctuating temperatures and winds. I learned about environmental policies and how the government balances the needs of the economy with the desire to protect the land. I also met with a wildlife activist group trying to reduce the amount of roadkill by changing the way Costa Ricans think about animals. This group also helps build wildlife overpasses and underpasses to allow the animals to safely cross roads.
The Costa Ricans challenged me to view the environment not just as this great entity, but as something with which I need to maintain a relationship. One of the people who opened my eyes was Wendy Cruz, a sustainability educator. She teaches locals and visitors how to reduce their waste and to respect the turtles who come every summer to lay their eggs. There's nothing like being in a beautiful environment to learn about environmental science.
During my time I was able to write three separate articles on specific situations and native people Ecochronicle, a publication of the University of Arizona School of Journalism as part of the environmental journalism class in Costa Rica from 2011 through 2014.
LeadLocal, consulting experience
Leading for Good through LeadLocal
Mission: The Leading for Good apprenticeship gave participants the opportunity to learn innovation and leadership strategies through hands-on experience completing a consulting project for a local organization.
Sasha Hutabarat majored in Environmental Science with an emphasis on microbiology.
Earlier in my senior year I realized that lab work wasn’t for me. So when I found out that I had to complete my independent study credit, I did not know where to begin. When I saw an internship opportunity with Lead Local, I finally felt that it was the right fit for me.
I was part of an internship program called Leading for Good with six other University of Arizona students from various backgrounds are also part of the program.
We worked with Tucson’s Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum as a part of the Ocean Project Grant, assigned to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The program revolves around seafood sustainability. Our job as interns was to recruit two to six restaurants into establishing a partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program.
Having this partnership implies that restaurants were dedicated to serving only sustainable seafood, i.e. seafood that has been caught or harvested without causing detrimental environmental effects in the ocean. With this project, our hope is to make the Tucson community become more aware of seafood sustainability.