A Penn State World Campus student is eager to be a better steward of the Earth’s resources because of a life-changing trip she took over spring break.
Kayland Brown went to Belize through an immersive program on sustainability and ocean conservation. She observed seaweed harvesting, studied invasive species, and talked with locals about the future of their land use.
Brown is the first student to receive an award from a new fund through Penn State World Campus, the Collective Commitment to Equity Fund. It provides funding for students to have educational experiences such as unpaid internships and travel opportunities like attending a conference or studying abroad.
“I want to be more in tune with Earth — how we affect the Earth and how it affects us,” said Brown, who is majoring in energy and sustainability policy. “The funding was a blessing that I couldn’t be more grateful for. It provided me with a cushion to be able to join the experience, immerse myself in the culture, and support local people.”
Experiencing learning outside of the virtual classroom
Brown intended to be an engineering major at Penn State's University Park campus, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the fall of 2020, she instead enrolled at the Abington campus closer to her home in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.
She realized she preferred learning online and transferred to World Campus in 2021. She became interested in sustainability and energy, which led her to the Bachelor of Science in Energy and Sustainability Policy offered online by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
That major requires students to complete an internship or to study abroad. She applied for a study-abroad experience, in Belize through The GREEN Program, which provides experiential educational programs in sustainable development across the world.
Brown said the support from the Collective Commitment to Equity Fund helped her more fully immerse herself in the experience.
Brown said she found a sense of interconnected community in Belize that she had never seen before. People take care of stray animals, and there are no homeless people, she cited as examples.
The highlight for her was helping the seaweed farmers. They told her how their seaweed is used in products like ketchup and toothpaste and how they are dealing with invasive seaweed. They told her that the farmers can command a higher price for their seaweed on the market because of its high quality.
“It felt surreal to be in the middle of the ocean and help them do what they do,” she said.
Brown plans to graduate in the fall. She is considering graduate school or going to work for an organization like NASA or the Sierra Club.
“We need to realize we need to respect each other and respect our environment,” she said. “Being in Belize showed me how to start to do that.”