MSU Forestry Students Return to Costa Rica
Print
EmailAs part of a grant through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP), Michigan State University (MSU) Forestry students are returning to Costa Rica.
Forestry students are returning to Costa Rica, this time as part of a full-length hybrid course, where students will work with a community that lives on the edge of the largest private cloud forest in the world.
The department of forestry first began its collaboration with Nacientes Palmichal, a community-run lodge in Palmichal, Acosta, Costa Rica in 2023 as students collaborated in community building and practical, hands-on experience. As part of the Alternative Spartan Breaks program, the group was led by then forestry undergraduate advisor Justin Kunkle.
The strong connection between Alternative Spartan Breaks and The Department of Forestry is made possible by Vincent Delgado, Director of the RCAH (Residential College in the Arts and Humanities) Program on Sustainability in Costa Rica. Delgado is based in Costa Rica and has been working closely with Don Hernan Ramirez, Director of ADESSARU (Rural San Jose Sustainable Development Association), for close to a decade.
RCAH is now offering a full-semester length hybrid course, Transcultural Relations through the Ages: Design Justice, where students combine remote design sessions and education abroad to engage with autonomous design and other design justice and Latin American sustainability frameworks, concluding the course by traveling to Costa Rica for one week. During this course, students will assess challenges to global sustainability and social justice, particularly in Latin America and apply new ideas about interdisciplinarity that connect program development with the arts and humanities for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Students will learn how these methods can be extrapolated and used in communities in the U.S.
All but one of the MSP students participated in ASB in Costa Rica earlier in 2025, making this a return trip for them. This is a unique opportunity to return to the country to deepen their understanding of human-forest codependence. MSP forestry student Corey McKenzie says he’s most looking forward to giving back again.
“When I went during spring semester 2025 spring break, I was extremely thankful to give back to the community of Palmichal by working on projects, led by community partners, to further develop the infrastructure of not only Las Nacientes de Palmichal but also the infrastructure of a trail that illuminated the path for hiking up the mountain,” he said.
McKenzie is really looking forward to expanding on his previous experience in “Rainforest Revive” which was focused on developing the community through infrastructure, with his next experience in Monteverde, where he will spend time developing the community through youth development. “In addition to the fulfillment that comes from giving back, I’m also eager to learn new ways to tackle problems so that I can become a better problem-solver in my communities, career-based research, and the world,” he said.
Another returning student, Isabella Leksche Rosales, says her first trip to Costa Rica with ASB taught her a lot about the role of forestry in rural communities as part of their livelihood and economies. “My favorite part of [that trip] was experiencing the different way of life that these people live! Their culture felt a lot more laid-back than the culture in the United States,” she said. Rosales recommends visiting Costa Rica, sharing “if you’re interested in seeing how people in the rural areas of a different country and culture live, and if you’re interested in exploring different lifestyles and seeing tropical birds and plants, this is an awesome trip.” She is looking forward to seeing tropical plants and birds, as well as eating delicious food on her return trip.
The overarching goal of the MSP Program is to expand and sustain long-term professional training that will equip students with the necessary skills to be leaders and stewards in sustainable forest management.
This work is supported by the Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program [grant no. 2024-38413-41456] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
