Hello! My name is Cadence, and I recently completed my first year at Pitt in the Swanson School of Engineering. I am majoring in chemical engineering and considering a Sustainability Certificate. Outside of academics, I am the business manager of Engineers for a Sustainable World and mentorship chair of the Society of Women Engineers. I am also a member of the Treble Choral Ensemble, the Oakland Aces Tennis Club, and the Pitt Green Team. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family.
I chose the Plus3 Costa Rica program because I’ve wanted to visit the country ever since I began studying Spanish in middle school. I was drawn to its vibrant culture, cuisine, biodiversity, and natural beauty. This will be my first time traveling outside the United States, and I’m incredibly excited to have such a meaningful international experience early in my college career. I am looking forward to learning about the behind the scenes production of everyday foods such as coffee and bananas. From this amazing opportunity, I hope to gain a broader understanding of other cultures and see how engineering and business intersect in additional parts of the world.
When looking into Costa Rica’s sustainability initiatives, I was especially impressed by its focus on renewable energy, reforestation, and biodiversity conservation. The country generates about 98% of its electricity from renewable sources, with the largest contribution from hydro and the rest from wind, geothermal, biomass, and solar. Additionally, Costa Rica has worked hard to reverse the damages caused by mass deforestation in the past and has now reached over 52% of its land covered in forests. Moreover, about 25% of the country is dedicated to conservation and protected by national parks, reserves, and wildlife refuges. These initiatives reflect a deep commitment to sustainability and have given me an even greater appreciation and respect for Costa Rica. They take the extra step to be sustainable through the types of energy they use, their efforts to reforest the country, their overall contribution to conservation, and more. That being said, Costa Rica has definitely earned their consistent ranking within the top 20 countries of the World Energy Council’s global “environmental sustainability” index.
