Nicaragua
Seven students and four staff members traveled to Nicaragua in January as part of an integrative studies course, Nicaragua in Change. The group met with journalists, environmentalists, women’s groups, musicians, artists, and community leaders who taught them about the economic, psychological, and political consequences of the Contra war on the next generation. The group also heard traditional folk music and live reggae in Managua and visited an active volcano in Masaya and a waterfall in Rio Blanco.
As part of the learning experience, there was also time for sampling local cuisine, staying with families on a rural farming cooperative, dancing, laughing, swatting piñatas, playing sports with the local kids, making tortillas, milking cows, riding horses, and watching monkeys on the lake in Grenada. Oh, and the gang helped local community members paint a preschool. The paint job included a mural featuring planet earth and the KSC owl. The small building, which had been unused, will now serve as a schoolhouse for the cooperative’s youngest children.
The students are now back at KSC, wiser, more enriched, and more fulfilled. Please join them in April as they share their own experiences from the trip as well as their diverse research projects and perspectives on international issues and community service. They’d like to thank everyone who bought poinsettias during their December fundraiser and the College for supporting this experiential learning course.
El Salvador
Fourteen students and four staff members headed to El Salvador in January for a Habitat for Humanity Global Village Project. Working with local masons, the group helped build a home for a local family. But besides all the hard work, the trip included hiking a volcano in San Miguel, sampling local foods, learning to dance the salsa, visiting an orphanage, and surfing at a local beach. The group had a great time and made many close friends. They’ve continued to stay in touch via the wonders of email and Facebook. When you’re on campus, please check out all the photos in the display case on the third floor of the Student Center.
