Sue Kemp leading Costa Rica virtual global experience

12 Mar 2021     By Kelcey Buck

Since 2015, professor of practice Sue Kemp had led a study abroad experience to Costa Rica. This year, she will instead lead a course titled “Virtual Comparison between the Educational and Cultural Perspectives between the U.S. and Costa Rica” beginning May 17. 

“I wanted to offer this virtual study abroad experience to be able to share Monteverde, Costa Rica, with students during this time in which we can’t actually travel to this spectacular location,” Kemp said. “All of the virtual activities that we experience in Costa Rica will be paired with a similar experience in Lincoln so that students can learn about the similarities and differences between the two locations.” 

The course will include web conferencing with people in Costa Rica, including visiting with educators and participating with student activities, and a Spanish class to hone students’ skills for better conversation with their host families. In addition, students will have virtual tours through the cloud forest, a coffee farm, and a chocolate shop. Those activities will be paired with hiking through a native prairie in Lincoln, learning from local coffee shops about importing and roasting coffee, and visiting a local chocolate shop to compare the differences from Costa Rica. 

The students will also be able to interact with Costa Rican families who normally serve as host families for Kemp’s study abroad experience. One activity will include a cooking class led by someone from Costa Rica. The meal will then be enjoyed together so students can learn more about the culture in Monteverde. 

Kemp’s Costa Rica virtual global experience was one of 25 experiential programs funded through the Global Experiences Innovation Fund from the Education Abroad Office and Office of Global Strategies. The funding provides a scholarship to students to cover any additional program costs that exceed standard tuition and fees. 

Registration for the Costa Rica course, which runs May 17-28, is open until April 1. To learn more and register, visit https://go.unl.edu/cr-globalexperience.