Costa Rica and their sustainability practices impress me. Considering we learned about the severe issue of deforestation in the 1990s, Costa Rica’s dedication to reverse its deforestation is terrific and awe-inspiring. The country focuses heavily on protecting its land and environment. Costa Rica is aiming to become a carbon-neutral country. During the COVID-19 lockdown, there were strict limits on the use of automobiles.

Additionally, hydroelectric dams helped increase the country’s renewable energy. When I imagine Costa Rica, I think of beaches, mountains, and humid forests. I had no idea how high a percentage of the forest in Costa Rica was destroyed; however, the forest was able to be restored and be over half of the country’s total territory. That shows a lot of dedication for a government to admit and fix its faults from the past. This supports their ability to continue tropical agriculture and produce at economies of scale. 

I am excited to go to Costa Rica for quite a few reasons! This study abroad experience will be my first time leaving The United States. College is a time to explore one’s interests and grow outside their comfort zone, and traveling to a new environment will broaden my general knowledge. Pitt’s robust study abroad program is a reason I chose the University of Pittsburgh, and that was a factor I initially did not consider in a college. Pitt made plus3 for first-year students a unique opportunity that other business schools could not offer.

As a supply chain major, learning about Costa Rica’s banana and coffee supply chain is a fantastic real-world example that I believe is fascinating to study. This trip will help me in my supply chain management studies because I will start with a strong foundation of how a specific supply chain affects the Costa Rican economy. This was one of the top reasons I chose Costa Rica as one of my preferred destinations.