Carmelisa

Carmelisa

Urban Studies Major,
From San Francisco, CA

I chose to participate in this program because I want to travel the world and to see the world from new perspectives. Costa Rica seems like a great way to start my travel adventures, and I look forward to gaining a wonderful experience from this trip. I love how this program incorporates a class, a research project, volunteering, and plenty of time to explore Costa Rica.

Sustainability is an essential part of my life. I try to live a sustainable life as best as I can. I believe even the simplest action, like recycling or helping out at a beach clean-up, can help our world. I grew up in San Francisco, one of the most sustainable cities in the nation, maybe even the world. This city makes that extra effort to be sustainable in every way they can and to educate everyone on its importance.

At UC Irvine, I recently became an active member in Theta Psi, a co-ed professional sustainability fraternity. We are involved with various green projects both on campus and in the surrounding communities. We go to a lot of community service events and attend various lectures. I’ve met a lot of great people with the same interests as me. I am also involved with Pilipino-Americans in Social Studies (PASS) organization, as the Marketing & Publicity Co-Director. I became a member during my first quarter at UCI, and after only two years, I have learned a lot about professionalism. The people in PASS are some of my closest friends and like my family away from home. In addition, I work for UCI Guest and Event Services as a parking attendant and soon to be traffic director. I’ve worked there for over a year and have met a lot of nice and interesting people.

I am most excited about being immersed in Costa Rican culture. I love going to new places, trying new things, and learning about different cultures. Travelling has always been on my bucket list and Costa Rica will be a great start. I also want to see how sustainability is affecting this country and the methods they are using. Sustainable living is becoming more and more popular as people are becoming aware of our world’s environmental issues. It will be a new perspective that I am very eager to learn about.