This experience opened my eyes in many different ways. I was able to learn how important community is when it’s one of the only things you have. Belize is diverse with many different cultures, but all of those cultures highlight the importance of coming together and working together in order to protect each other and protect their culture. It was truly inspiring to me to see how culture brought people together and when learning about the different cultures, like the Mayans and the Garifuna, how important women are to preserving tradition. These cultures in particular demonstrated and highlighted how women were the ones carrying on the traditions and conserving the cultures which was so impactful to see. Through learning about these cultures, not only was I empowered, but I was also compelled to do work to help preserve the land that these cultures depend on. This program helped to reinforce the importance of what I’m studying and showed me how necessary it really is.

As far as my career goals go, this study abroad showed me how important it is to keep in mind how every action or policy implemented affects other countries. I plan to go into sustainable policy work and to do that I think it’s important to know what’s going on outside of the U.S. and what challenges other countries are facing. It’s important to see what challenges other countries are facing but also how they are overcoming these challenges because challenges can be overcome in many ways. We can learn from how other countries are handling their problems, which is what this program helped me to understand. Not only does Belize have challenges to face but I was shown how many of the cultures work together in order to preserve the land they all depend on. This reinforced the idea of how critical it is to be able to work with others, especially those who are different from you, in order to solve problems that everyone faces.

Name: Delaney McIntyre
Status: Junior
Major: Environmental Studies and Sustainability
Hometown: Escanaba, Michigan
Program: Culture, Food and Society in Belize