My Student Experience: Transformational Scholars Return From Costa Rica As More ‘Culturally Aware, Empathetic and Inspired Future Educators’
When elementary education major Laci Lucas traveled to Costa Rica as part of a cultural immersion trip with the Transformational Scholarships Program this summer, she brought with her a gift to give to her one of her host families there — a watercolor of NC State’s Memorial Belltower painted by an artist from her hometown in Sampson County.
“I was looking for something that represents my county and my town, but also NC State,” Lucas said. “They loved it.”
The trip, which took place from June 8-22, was designed for moments like this, to create opportunities for cultural exchange while also providing a chance for the eight Transformational Scholars who traveled to Costa Rica to grow their Spanish-speaking skills and gain a new perspective on the field of education.
“With our students going back into eastern North Carolina, it’s important for them to have this wide range of experiences,” said Trisha Mackey, the director of the Transformational Scholarships Program who co-led the trip along with Associate Professor of Educational Psychology DeLeon Gray and Director of Global Programs Ajaya Francis Jonas. “Being able to learn about different cultures will just transform them into well-rounded educators who will be able to create classroom environments for all of their students to learn and grow.”
The NC State College of Education’s Transformational Scholarships Program provides scholarships totaling $40,000 over four years to promising high school students from eastern North Carolina who will return to the region to teach after graduation and also allows for unique learning opportunities, such as studying abroad together in Costa Rica.
The first week of the trip was spent in the city of Heredia, where the Transformational Scholars took intensive Spanish classes at the Intercultura Spanish School and volunteered at a local preschool. There, they also developed a better understanding of the challenges their future students may face in learning with a language barrier.
“Interacting with and trying to tend to the needs of a child that doesn’t share the same native language as you is difficult and really illuminates the struggles multilingual students may have in the U.S,” said Mary Ledford, a Transformational Scholar and middle grades English language arts and social studies major.
During shared meals or long bus rides, the Transformational Scholars were able to dive deeper into all they were learning — how to navigate a Spanish-speaking environment, Costa Rican culture, supporting students with diverse backgrounds — through reflections led by Gray.
“Being able to discuss what these experiences meant in the context of education in eastern North Carolina was such a gift,” Ledford said. “It was made easier and more meaningful with other Transformational Scholars there to help facilitate that thought process.”
The students also went a number of excursions, including a coffee tour at the Doka Estate, a trip to the Arenal volcano and Fortuna waterfall, and a zipline tour through the rainforest, before traveling to the town of Sámara for the second half of their trip, where they continued their Spanish classes at an Intercultura Spanish School campus that was located on the beach.
“During our breaks, we would go out and just look at the ocean,” Lucas said.
While in Sámara, the Transformational Scholars volunteered with a program called CREAR, a supplemental education program for Costa Rican students that provides after school learning.
“In interacting with the students and staff at CREAR, it helped me understand cultural differences in attitudes when it comes to education,” Ledford said. “We discussed the discrepancies in access to education and the lack of post-secondary education amongst young people in Costa Rica, which is something I could connect to my experience in eastern North Carolina.”
Gray said he was impressed with how the Transformational Scholars grew in their ability to engage with and support learners from different backgrounds throughout the trip.
“They’re returning as more culturally aware, empathetic and inspired future educators, ready to make a positive impact in their classrooms and communities,” Gray said.
Just as Lucas was excited to share a small piece of North Carolina with her host family in Costa Rica, she is looking forward to taking what she learned during her time in the country and applying it to her studies at the College of Education and, eventually, to her future classroom in the eastern part of the state.
“When we go back to school, I can have more insight,” Lucas said. “When they ask questions, I can be like, ‘Oh, I think this because I saw that in Costa Rica.’”
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