University of Wisconsin–Madison

Belize: Emelia Rogers

Emelia leans up against a sculpture on a sandy beach.
Picture of me at the marker declaring Glover’s Reef Atoll, Southwest Caye, Belize as a World Heritage Site. On the island where we stayed for most of our program.

Program: Ceiba Coral Reef Ecology in Belize, Summer

Emelia’s Major: Anthropology, Biology

How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?

It was of similar rigor to other UW Madison classes, but it was at a much faster pace than I am used to. I also very much liked learning things hands on, like going through an intertidal zone, learning how to identify sea urchins and how they moved using tube feet while it inched across your hand. I enjoyed learning about the ecological roles of parrotfishes and damselfish while watching them eat algae and corals.

This experience has shown me what I am capable of, that I can work in uncomfortable and foreign situations that I find challenging. It has shown me what conservation and research looks like in the real world.

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

Snorkeling and seeing large nurse sharks relaxing on the sandy bottom, or a sea turtle nestled into some coral, or enormous spotted eagle rays soaring below us.

What is the moment you are most proud of?

I am proud for pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and learning how to connect to people I didn’t know in a foreign place. I was proud of myself for staying up on the island, breaking my usual comfortable routine, to connect with and talk to others in the program.