The Future is Women in STEM

Bienvenidos to this summer's Women in STEM Blog! We are thrilled to kick off classes centered on conservation, sustainability, and our personal ecological footprint. Students have already traveled from San Jose and safely arrived at the lush CIEE Monteverde campus. Thus far, students have visited the integrated campus farm, discussed famous sustainability quotes, explored the importance of sustainable innovation, embarked on a scavenger hunt, and discussed the social implications of sustainability for producers, exporters, and consumers. Throughout all of these moments, students wrestled with difficult questions around development, distribution of wealth and resources, and how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals impact communities differently based on a variety of factors. With delicious meals including the traditional rice and beans of Costa Rica, “gallo pinto,” fresh fruit, and pasta with shrimp, each day has been filled with new experiences and full stomachs.

FUN FACT ALERT:

Costa Rica is the #1 exporter of pineapple in the world. While pineapple exportation has economic benefits for the country, the tremendous demand for this delicious and juicy fruit leaves pineapple harvesters in a vulnerable position to achieve equitable and safe workers’ rights. 

STUDENT REFLECTION HIGHLIGHTS:

“Sustainability is similar to us, Women in STEM, as we are trying to come up with new solutions everyday to solve the world’s problems in a new way” - Channing

“Environmental rights are human rights” - Maneeza

Based on conversations with her grandfather, a clothing producer in China, Kayla shared a real-life example of how much water is necessary to produce jeans. She demonstrated both empathy and critical thinking when analyzing how individuals who are living in poverty may lack the options to make decisions with sustainablity in mind. This was coupled with Nora A’s commentary addressing the importance of policy in sustainable development and accountability in today’s society.

Tambien, ya empezamos las clases de español. We have started practicing introductions, favorite things to do, and where we are from.

Stay tuned to see what vocabulary and conversations come to life inside and outside of the classroom!