I think I speak for many students when I say the current pandemic has brought a year of disappointment as a result of many unexpected alterations to our future plans. For me studying abroad in Costa Rica was something I was looking forward to since my freshman year. When I found out they would be offering some of the classes virtually I knew this was something that I would be interested in. I decided to take one of the offered courses and it was one of the best decisions I have made. Although I am not getting the same cultural immersion aspect, as if I was studying abroad, I have still learned so much both about the culture and about the content in the course. The professor did an incredible job infusing personal experience, anecdotes, photos, and examples to enrich the course with cultural context and make it as close to being in Costa Rica taking the class as possible.

Taking Health and Vulnerable Populations in Latin America was one of the most fascinating classes I have taken thus far in my academic career. Taking this class has opened my eyes to many of the problems that face Latin America and the ways that they can be approached. One of the most interesting aspects of this is that many of these problems parallel ones that also are occurring in the United States. I learned so many valuable skills about how to approach vulnerable populations and facilitating social programs within these populations.

The health care system in the United States is far from perfect and, for me, taking a deep dive into another healthcare system forces you to critically think and questions many of the norms of health care that we experience here in the United States. This course allowed me to gain valuable perspective about health care in the US through analyzing it from the lens of an outsider.

I would strongly encourage anyone considering one of the ICDS classes to enroll! Even from a distance this course was incredibly valuable. This course provided me connections and insight that makes me eager to travel to Costa Rica in the future!

Maddy Harding, Kalamazoo College