STUDENT Profile
ARTEM REICHART ’22 Artem, a running back for the Delone Catholic football team, had been scheduled to go on a People to People trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji in 2020, but then the world shut down. “Costa Rica was actually the only trip that went this year,” Artem said. The group did a lot of touring, including national parks, volcanoes, and a coffee plantation. Costa Rica, a small, rugged, rainforested country in Central America, sits on the edge of a tectonic plate, making it volcanically active. “Everything there is hilly,” Artem noted. The trip organizers as well as the citizens of Costa Rica were “super strict” about COVID-19 protocols, including mask-wearing and hand-washing, he added. The trip was educational as well as enjoyable. Artem’s favorite thing was ziplining, which he did from 200 feet up and achieved a speed of 20 mph. On one pass, a toucan flew right in front of Artem’s face, he said. Toucans to Costa Ricans are like pigeons to Americans, although arguably cuter. One of the places Artem toured was an animal rescue, which he described as “very cool.” It is illegal in Costa Rica to keep any native animals as a pet.
For Artem Reichart, the question “So what did you do this summer?” has an unusual answer: He spent nine days in Costa Rica on a People to People trip.
Artem, who lives on a farm, appreciated the biodiversity of the country. He is fascinated by zoology and is looking at schools like Virginia Tech and Texas Tech. For Artem, Delone Catholic’s motto – Be Doers of the Word – was something he carried with him. He and his fellow students brought seven bags of toys for children in an orphanage. Artem himself is adopted, having been born in Russia and adopted at age three. COVID wreaked havoc on the Costa Rican economy, because tourism is the main industry for the small nation. “Seeing a third-world country makes you focus on your priorities more,” Artem said. “It makes you really be grateful for what we have. It makes you think twice. It definitely helps you grow spiritually, mentally, physically.”
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THE SQUIRE | FALL 2021
