Sullivan Fellows study abroad in Costa Rica empowering them to be a force for positive change in their communities
Over Summer 2024, two of the Lees-McRae College Sullivan Fellows, junior Business Administration major Matthew Knafelz and senior Special Education major Bea Adams, participated in a two-week immersive study abroad trip to Costa Rica. The trip was organized and led by Renee Just, a faculty member from the School of Business Administration at Brenau University with support from the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation—for which Knafelz and Adams are both Fellows. Throughout the trip, students studied social entrepreneurship, connected with entrepreneurs and fellow students in Costa Rica, and expanded their world views to help them become better changemakers in their own communities.
Throughout the trip, which included approximately 20 students from about five different colleges and universities, the Fellows took leadership courses and toured local businesses and industry facilities that are essential to the Costa Rican economy.
“There are a bunch of entrepreneurs right around San Jose. We visited coffee farms, and a few other small businesses,” Knafelz said. “The main thing I took away was talking to the University of Costa Rica students and seeing that they’re not much different from us. Even though our cultures are different, they have the same goals and aspirations as us. One of my main goals coming out of college is helping people and being a leader, and I feel like the entire trip—talking to locals, experiencing different foods and coffee—really helped inspire me to better myself.”
Adams said the experience also inspired her. Throughout the trip she and the other students met with guest speakers, business leaders, and changemakers from around Costa Rica. She said that hearing from other changemakers about the tools they used to achieve their goals gave her a better understanding of how to achieve her own.
“We learned how to identify needs. We just got a lot of experience seeing how other people have done it, what skills they needed, and what resources made them good leaders for their projects,” Adams said. “Going different places and experiencing things outside of your comfort zone really helps build you as a person. You get to see the world in another light, and you develop your horizons when you see more of the world and of people.”
Since returning to campus for the fall semester, both Knafelz and Adams are eager to implement the lessons they learned in Costa Rica back on campus. By further developing their leadership skills and giving them the tools to identify and solve community problems, both Knafelz and Adams agreed that this experience made them more well-rounded and capable changemakers going forward.
“It has definitely gotten me out of my shell more. I really brought that back, and I feel like I’m more of a leader,” Knafelz said. “We’re starting pre-season for basketball, and I feel like I have been able to bring the skills from studying abroad in Costa Rica back here, and I feel like I’ve developed stronger leadership skills.”
To learn more about getting involved with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation at Lees-McRae, contact Campus Sullivan Coordinator Amy Anderson.
