FEATURE
S ervice withLearning
Students Combine
in Central America By Linda Howell Skidmore
Visiting San Carlos on Lake Nicaragua are, from left to right: Forrest Williamson, Professor Russ McClain, Natalie Green, Churchill Davenport, Robert Shomo, Jennifer Fredell, Julia Tenney, Guilherme Condolo-Hubsch, Dr. Bryan Wagoner, Scott Leach, Jessica Williams, our guide, Kate Somers, Holly Hinkle, and Sultan Khashugiee. The location was the site of an early 1700s Spanish lookout and cannon emplacement, overlooking the Rio San Juan.
Jennifer Fredell, an Adventure Recreation and Sustainability Studies major, takes a ride in Nicaragua.
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On a chilly day in January, 14 Davis & Elkins students boarded a plane and several hours later landed in the tropical capital of Managua seemingly ready to immerse themselves in a culture completely different from the one they’re used to. They spent 21 days in various parts of the country where freshly harvested fruits and vegetables were a daily staple, residents shopped for necessities in small markets instead of big box stores, and electricity was only available from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. In some villages, motorized vehicles were nowhere to be found.
Photo by Julia Tenney
“I was definitely able to see a different side of humanity,” says Natalie Green, a junior from Elkins. “When I would go to sleep at night there, I would think about how different we were living and how we were getting along just fine. At home, we have all of these things – amenities – that aren’t necessary but we take advantage of anyway.” The service-learning trip was organized 10 | Davis & Elkins College Forward
I felt like a better person when I left there. It opened my eyes a bit more to how others are living and how they appreciate everything. – Julia Tenney, D&E Senior
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tudents who traveled to Nicaragua for winter term study returned with a common sentiment. There are some things in life you have to experience – not just hear about – to truly understand.
by Dr. Bryan Wagoner, assistant professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy, and Russ McClain, director of the Center for Sustainability Studies, through the Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua (CEPAD). Wagoner, along with Dr. Robert McCutcheon, led another group of students on a trip to Nicaragua in 2014. “It is our hope that service-learning trips like this expose students to a world beyond their horizons, and they see how others live and how interdependent we all are in a globalized society,” Wagoner says. “Most importantly, we hope they discover something about themselves, who they are and who they want to be.”