Archie Beecroft, a finance major and Spanish minor at the University of Oregon, is making the most of his study abroad experience in Costa Rica through an impactful internship focused on sustainability.
As part of his internship with the Sustainable Business Program, Archie is spending his Thursdays leading workshops for local students on the importance of sustainability. "I'm doing workshops that are almost more like a chat with four different classes of students about the importance of sustainability, and how it relates to their lives as young students, about what they can do, and about how it relates to Costa Rica," he explains.
In addition to the student workshops, Archie is also working on a larger project to analyze the sustainability practices of the Nuevos Horizontes School. "I'll be providing an analysis about their practices, the sort of things that they can improve upon, the things that they're doing well, the different practices that they can change, and then providing recommendations for implementation as well," he says.
Archie is also using this opportunity to share his findings more broadly. "I'm also writing a final report about my time with the students, with the staff, the administration, talking about sustainability and its importance here at Nuevos Horizontes," he explains. "And I'm also writing an article in Spanish that's going to be published in one of the academic journals in Costa Rica."
Beyond the academic and professional benefits, Archie has found the personal connections he's made to be the most rewarding part of his internship. "The atmosphere feels more like a family than an institution, and that's something I can really appreciate coming from the U.S. where that's not always the case," he says. "The everyday small interactions I have - saying hi, saying bye, and having little conversations on the side with my co-workers and the students - have been a real highlight. They're always surprised that I can speak Spanish, and those moments have just been really enjoyable."
Looking ahead, Archie believes this experience will have a lasting impact on his future career. "I do think that I will want to get into education post-college, so I think this is a good opportunity to sort of practice that," he says. "Obviously it's in another language, but it is something that has been a dream of mine for a while and it's something that I do want to get into, so I'm really excited for this opportunity and how it can help me in the future as well."
For students considering the Sustainable Business Program and internship, Archie enthusiastically recommends it. "If you're thinking about joining the Sustainable Business Program, I would definitely recommend it, especially through Arcos," he says. "I had a fantastic time. All of the excursions that we did throughout the country of Costa Rica were amazing. The free weekends that we got were amazing. It's very easy to travel once you get here. Everything—the weather, the people—it's been a great time."
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