University of Wisconsin–Madison

Costa Rica: Kaylin DeHart

Program: UW Banking Animal Biodiversity in Costa Rica, Spring Break

Major: Botany and Neurobiology

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

One of the most memorable parts about this program was the few days we stayed at the heart of these research stations. Besides feeling cool when we saw tourists, staying at these locations overnight allowed us to be fully immersed in the natural environment for a few days. Our location enabled us to take night hikes and catch nocturnal animals and rare species. For example, on long hikes we saw a rare scarlet macaw mated pair at our first location and had had many sightings of the critically endangered Great Green Macaws.

three students smile for a photo holding fresh coconuts.
Three of us holding opened coconuts at an ethnobotany lecture. I am the person furthest from the camera, and I was drinking the coconut milk, I had never actually had a fresh coconut before.

What is the moment you are most proud of?

One of my personal experiences that I am proud of relates to termites. On the second day of the program, my bus buddy and I kept seeing strange masses on the trees that looked like a common type of fungus in Wisconsin but supersized. I theorized off-handedly that they could be termite mounds on the trees. We were shocked to find out later that I was completely right. One of our guides even pointed them out to us and gave us the option to eat one. The guide mentioned that they are a good survival food source and taste like peanuts. I tried one and they did taste like peanuts!

students walk along a bridge in the canopy of trees in a rainforest.
My roommates and I walking on a bridge to see the forest canopy levels.
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I realized how life in Costa Rica is extremely similar to my own experiences in a small town despite our different languages, seasonality, biodiversity, and culinary differences.

What did you learn about yourself or the world because of your experience?

While doing some volunteering to paint a community center in a small town on this program, I realized how life in Costa Rica is extremely similar to my own experiences in a small town despite our different languages, seasonality, biodiversity, and culinary differences. Overall, I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in genetic biodiversity because of how educational and life-changing it was. I am very grateful that I had the ability to attend and make lifelong memories with new friends.