"An understanding of sustainability is needed in all parts of the workforce"
Binna (20) studied Global Environmental Studies with Kulturstudier in Costa Rica. Read about how the semester inspired her to choose law studies.
Are you interested in animals and nature? Studying global environmental studies in Costa Rica gives you the opportunity to delve into this exciting field both theoretically and through excursions and outings.
– I heard about Kulturstudier at the Sacomässan in Stockholm in the fall of 2022, and didn't think much of it at the time. A few months later, I read the brochure thoroughly and started to do more research on the study program.
The study programme felt very right for me, because I had always wanted to study something related to sustainable development, especially something with a focus on animals and nature.
– I had also heard a lot about Costa Rica's biodiversity (and surfing opportunities), and it was a country I wanted to visit at some point in my life. Right after I finished high school, I signed up for the program and spent the fall of 2023 working and saving money.
Excursions are an important part of the study. The trips vary from semester to semester, but all students get to experience exciting and relevant outings. In the spring of 2025, the students will visit, among other things, a seed bank, a surfer reserve, a coffee plantation, and a self-sufficient organic farming community.
– All the excursions we went on during the study were incredible, but the trip to Corcovado National Park particularly impressed me. I have never seen so many animals in one day. Among other things, we saw crocodiles, sloths, parrots, tapirs, several types of monkeys, and hummingbirds.
The excursion to Jaco was also amazing. There we met many people working on important projects focusing on social sustainability, and it was very inspiring to see. Most of our study group chose to stay in the village for a few days, and the surfing there was really good.
– I am currently studying law at Lund University, and I had never thought about doing this before I went to Costa Rica.
I was completely set on studying something focused on society or nature, sustainable development at least, and had concluded that law had nothing to do with these things.
Now I feel confident that I have made the right choice, and I look forward to working with sustainable development through the legal front.
Many are interested in social science research fields such as environmental studies, but are unsure about how they can apply the knowledge and skills from such studies in their professional life.
Some move on to academia and research, but it's important to remember that interdisciplinary perspectives can be useful in almost any profession:
– One of the most important lessons I took away from the semester of global environmental studies in Costa Rica is precisely that people with knowledge of the environment and sustainability are needed in all professions and all parts of the workforce.
Someone from my semester has chosen to study economics and others technology.
– It's good to know that future entrepreneurs will work with the knowledge we have learned. Among other things, we learned to be more critical of discourses and not to accept commonly perceived 'truths' about what is right and wrong in the world.
Every journey contributes to making you who you become, and I am so grateful for having had the chance to experience the semester in Costa Rica and getting to know the people I met there.
Read more student stories from Costa Rica
- Costa Rica
- Student blog
