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Many college students like to spend spring break somewhere tropical. That is what a group of LSU College of Agriculture students did on their recent spring break. But this group wasn\u2019t lounging on beaches. The students were visiting farms, working with local children and helping struggling communities.<\/p>\r\n
Four undergraduate students and three graduate students took part in an international experience in Nicaragua, April 4-11.<\/p>\r\n
Three of the students had never left the country before. Myra Boudreaux, from Belle Rose, Louisiana, a junior studying agricultural education, was one of them.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cIt was a very eye-opening experience,\u201d Boudreaux said.<\/p>\r\n
The students visited coffee, tobacco and rice farms, learning about the entire production process for each crop.<\/p>\r\n
Emily Kraus, a graduate student in entomology, from New Alsace, Indiana, has spent time in Senegal, where she worked for the Peace Corps, and in Guatemala. But she said each new experience offers something unique, including a visit to a rice farm in Nicaragua.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cI was jumping into the mud looking for insects,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n
The rice farm the group visited is managed by LSU alumnus Manny Porro. Kraus said she plans to return to Nicaragua for a semester and conduct research on that farm, which she described as a dream come true.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cRegardless of what agriculture field you are in, there is something for everyone. Each day was jammed-packed with information about agriculture,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n
Chelsea Sutherland, a junior studying agricultural education, from Monroe, Michigan, enjoyed getting immersed in the culture. She said she tried Nicaraguan food only at the first restaurant they visited and attended mass on Easter Sunday.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cWe walked into a church and got to see how Catholicism was presented, and it was a little different. They actually had an open-door policy. The church literally had no doors,\u201d Sutherland said.<\/p>\r\n
She went on to say that making connections was an important part of the trip.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cGlobal agriculture requires global relationships. We met a lot of people and built a lot of relationships,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n
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Programs like this one aim to expose students to international agriculture and give them experience with the global marketplace.<\/p>\r\n
Ivana Tregenza, director of international relations for the LSU College of Agriculture and program coordinator for the LSU AgCenter International Programs office, said a student\u2019s career preparation is not complete without international experience and some knowledge of global issues.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cMany agricultural enterprises buy or sell internationally,\u201d Tregenza said. \u201cOur graduates will not be able to successfully compete for higher-paying jobs if they do not include this experience in their education.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
Bradley Coleman, a senior in agricultural education, from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, has traveled abroad. Coleman plans to teach after graduation and said his experiences will help make him a more valuable teacher.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cI can share these experiences with my students and maybe encourage or arrange for students to travel abroad,\u201d Coleman said.<\/p>\r\n
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Coleman is urging other agriculture students to take the opportunity to have international experience.<\/p>\r\n
On their last day in Nicaragua the students visited a market and purchased and delivered food to underprivileged families. They also worked in an aftercare program with young children.<\/p>\r\n
Peyton Beattie, a junior in agricultural education, from Houma, Louisiana, said working with the children was her favorite part of the trip. Even though the LSU students spoke little Spanish and the children spoke no English, they were able to play together, including a game of \u201cpatata caliente,\u201d or hot potato.<\/p>\r\n
All of the students expressed how their time in Nicaragua gave them a new perspective on agriculture and the world.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t get these experiences any other way than going abroad,\u201d Boudreaux said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many college students like to spend spring break somewhere tropical. That is what a group of LSU College of Agriculture students did on their recent spring break. But this group wasn\u2019t lounging on beaches. The students were visiting farms, working with local children and helping struggling communities. Four undergraduate students and three graduate students took […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"yoast_head":"\n