In March of 2025, I attended a wonderful week-long study abroad program in Uvita, Costa Rica. Along with several other select students from a class called GIS in the Community, I worked with leaders from the edtech company GISetc and environmental conservation organization Costa Rica Coral Exploration. Alongside some thrilling field research that included snorkeling for coral fragments, hiking for water samples, and collecting drone footage at Marino Ballena National Park, I studied how tourism has affected the urbanization of Uvita and the impact that urbanization has had on the residents of the rapidly developing area. At the end of the trip, I presented my findings to leaders in the Uvita community.
