Sophomore Aimee Saldivar had never traveled beyond Mexico and the United States before immersing herself in the Costa Rican culture during the annual Emerald Eagle Scholars Study Abroad program this summer.

During a two-week trip, Saldivar and 14 other scholars explored the Costa Rican rain forest, toured coffee and banana plantations, learned about organic farming and visited an active volcano.

“I’m very excited there are programs like Emerald Eagle Scholars that fund trips like these for students," says Saldivar, who is majoring in radio/television/film, anthropology and Spanish. “For me, this was a whole new experience.”

The trip is part of a senior-level biology course focusing on environmentally sustainable development. The scholars explored global warming and the Kyoto agreement while taking part in community service projects.

This is the second year scholars have participated in the study abroad program. Last year, 15 scholars traveled to Thailand to learn about sustainable development, environmental ethics and emergency and disaster management.