Costa Rica Spring Internship Travelearn
By Brittany Fuentes | Published November 18, 2022
The Give Back Abroad Internship is an internship and travelearn introduced by Kean University for students where students can earn two credits while they travel to Costa Rica. The Center for International Studies offers information regarding this internship as well as various other opportunities abroad.
This internship is set to occur during spring break 2023, from March 4 until March 11. This is an opportunity for students to focus on learning about sustainability and social consciousness while exploring a different country.
By participating in this internship students will spend some of their time collecting scientific data for whales and dolphins. They will also be visiting a non-governmental organization animal rescue center to learn more about wildlife and animals.
Students will also be able to visit many other agricultural places during the time that they are there, such as a coffee plantation. Students will be participating in teaching while teaching English during their time there and patrolling the beach for animals on kayak.
Due to the fact that students can receive two credits for this travelearn, the cost is included in the tuition as a class, in hopes to make it accessible for as many students as possible.
All students are highly encouraged to seek out more information regarding international studies and the options that are available to them.
Brittany Bursa, the international studies advisor said, “Students who are interested in studying abroad are encouraged to sign up for an advising appointment with their study abroad advisor, no matter if a student is a freshman or senior there can be study abroad opportunities available for them.”
A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required to be eligible for this internship and a minimum of 15 students will be accepted for the internship, with a maximum of 30 being accepted.
The internship will be led by Jessica Barzilay, the Director for the Center for International Studies. She is an enthusiast when it comes to traveling who wishes to push as many students as possible to take opportunities like these and makes sure these opportunities are always available.
“Students who study abroad are shown to grow in both hard and soft skills, such as learning intercultural communication, adaptability, and gaining new perspectives,” Bursa said.
Spending time away and experiencing new things in different countries can help broaden the knowledge that students can learn as they attend college. It is also a way for students to be exposed to different cultures and the environment of things other than the ones they are normally in.
“Some students express that their time abroad was their favorite portion of their studies. When students study abroad, the world becomes their classroom,” Bursa said.