By Verity Tatum and Dr. Brittany Presson
McKenzie, Tenn.–Brittany Presson and Verity Tatum visited Costa Rica with Bethel University’s Global Studies in 2011 under the direction of Stacie Freeman. Freeman co-founded Global Citizen Adventure Corps as a nonprofit with Julie Hill to enable more students from rural and economically disadvantaged areas to participate in travel service learning that Presson and Tatum describe as “a transformative force that contributes to positive societal changes, creating a ripple effect that resonates within their communities for years to come.”
“I’ve been to Costa Rica already,” she said to me from a position of confidence. Brittany had traveled with her high school Spanish class at one point and brought it up often and fondly. Myself? I had studied French in high school and college and, even then, the most I ever spoke the language was when talking to French Airmen at Tallil Air Base. I had traveled to many places around the globe as a soldier for the U.S. military and, in that capacity, my cultural learning was more for survival than it was to grow as a person. I never had the luxury of touring a different country without a firearm in my hands.
We looked at the bulletin promoting global service in Costa Rica and smiled at the opportunity for both of us, at the time, stuck in a small rural town. With a renewed way to experience world travel, we leapt at the chance.
For rural students, the decision to travel abroad holds the potential to reshape perspectives. For instance, mine evolved from a soldier’s to an artist’s and writer’s perspective. Brittany became Dr. Presson, a professor and writer as well, and to this day she helps every student in her classroom comprehend a much larger, intricate sociological world.
Travel enriches appreciation of the world and contributes to positive changes within home communities. In this exploration, we delve into the profound sociological impact that international travel can have on students hailing from rural backgrounds.
Breaking Societal Barriers
Embarking on a journey to different countries is not merely an adventure; it is a transformative experience that goes beyond sightseeing and cultural immersion, igniting a passion to know not only the world better, but the self. Rural areas often carry a distinct set of values, traditions, and perspectives, protectively insular and outwardly cautious of new paradigms that could be greatly beneficial to the community at large. Traveling abroad opens a gateway to diverse cultures, traditions, and lifestyles, challenging preconceived notions and dismantling stereotypes. The experience of interacting with people from different backgrounds fosters a sense of openness, tolerance, and acceptance; It broadens the connections that rural students have with the world at large, yielding insight not into how we as humans differ but into how we are all very much, at our foundations, the same.
“I’d love to get my doctorate some day, but I don’t think I can do that realistically,” Brittany said while washing the sand from her feet. We had just walked along the beach of Parismina, Costa Rica, looking for sea turtles to keep them safe from poachers. “I would love to teach at the collegiate level. That is kind of the dream. Travel. See the world.”
The next day we went to the local school and helped the children there. Brittany’s face lit up as she helped them, talking to each one in Spanish. Afterward, we walked through a small village market. Locals were making art and selling it, each with a smile on their face and happy to interact with us.
“I would like to craft things that have subtle meaning and put them up for sale so that the people they’re meant for will find them and take them home,” I shared while holding up a small coconut shell pendant with a perfect sea turtle design on the inside of it. Later, when we went to the local church, Brittany sat with one of the villagers, sanding a church pew and talked with them. I went inside of the building and drew a large flower on the church floor in the sawdust while a few of the younger villagers smiled and watched.
When we returned to college, me with my newfound appreciation for craft and design and Brittany with a lofty dream in her mind about getting her degree to teach, we could have easily put the ideas to rest and moved on with our lives. Instead, those ideas grew and turned into action. To this day, I still make a plethora of things, from stained glass windows to ornate wooden boxes, and Dr. Presson talks to her students, reaching out to people she barely knows, to learn from them and teach them in return.
When rural students venture beyond their familiar landscapes, they become ambassadors of their own cultures, representing the richness and uniqueness of their communities. This exchange of cultural insights not only dismantles misconceptions, disrupting ethnocentric beliefs, but also builds bridges of understanding and cultural relativism between diverse communities. These students return home not only with a broader worldview but also with the ability to advocate for inclusivity and tolerance within their own societies. International experiences stimulate students, leading them to self-analyze their cultural identity. Sojourners become connected to their private identity when they are given a respite from media and obligations. They learn that “The global village is a place of very arduous interfaces and very abrasive situations,” to quote Marshall McLuhan.
When Brittany was in high school, she eagerly signed up for an end of the year trip to Costa Rica. Her school was a rural county school built in the middle of a corn field. None of the fellow student travelers had left the country. She thought travel would be an adventure but was unprepared for the culture shock. It started with the coconut milk that she gulped thinking it was whole milk. The rice and beans at nearly every meal was new. It was a time of independence – having graduated high school a week prior – and being encased in the naivety of childhood and inexperience. The food was the beginning. The class navigated the dangers of riding with strangers in a foreign country, language barriers, unexpected heat and humidity, challenging hikes, cliff diving, ziplining over rivers, stepping into the ocean for the first time, and more. She likes to tell people that she had to leave the country to go to her first beach. During one outing, Brittany stood on a bridge with a beautiful view of boulders of lava rolling down an active volcano in the distance. The night was dark, and she was careful not to back up too far into imminent danger. The world felt much larger than she ever imagined.
Enhancing Educational Perspectives
Education is a powerful tool for societal change, and international travel serves as a catalyst for intellectual growth. Exposure to different academic environments broadens the horizons of rural students, providing them with a fresh perspective for tackling local problems back home after previously having faced the problems experienced by someone from another culture in another country.
Having traveled to Costa Rica just a few years prior, Brittany thought she knew everything she needed before heading back again. This second trip — a service learning trip — was a completely different beast. Rather than traveling the country, our group stayed primarily on a small remote island off the coast. Insulated geographically, we were able to make connections with the locals there. Yet, Brittany quickly recognized the influence the group was having on the local children. We gave them silly band bracelets – rubber bracelets that turn into animal shapes when removed. We watched as they fought over, bartered, and traded them. As a burgeoning sociologist, Brittany recognized the cultural diffusion taking place. She listened to her guide and locals discuss the environmental implications of mass-producing bananas and over-poaching sea turtles. Yet she was aware that the very poaching they were trying to prevent was a way of life for many. Holding both these truths exposed a greyness to a world that is often thought of as black and white. “Cause and effect” rose in her consciousness in a way that wasn’t as prevalent as before.
American sociologist C. Wright Mills argued that in order to understand society, we must first engage in the “Sociological Imagination.” This perspective requires one to notice the things we often take for granted, make the familiar strange to us, and generalize from the particular. For beginners — who have lived, breathed, and been inculcated with their community’s norms their entire lives – such a perspective can be difficult.
Considered one of the principal architects of modern social science, French sociologist Emile Durkheim wrote of “mechanical solidarities” — societies that are often rural, where people take on multiple community responsibilities, maintain close knit relationships, and where there is a heavy emphasis on sameness in terms of people likely practicing similar religions, shopping at the same stores, taking the same vacations, working in the same industries, and adopting the same cultural norms. For Brittany, disrupting her view of “how things were,” leaving her small town and travelling to a country far different than her own was instrumental in developing Brittany’s Sociological Imagination. In reflection, she also recognized how poverty there was not the same as poverty where she was from, parenting practices were looser on the island, and consumerism and diet were also unrecognizable to what she had experienced in her youth.
Studying abroad allows students to engage with a variety of subjects such as culture shock, language barriers, economic instability, and environmental problem solving, in ways that may not be possible within their home country. This exposure not only fosters a deeper appreciation for human resilience but also encourages them to question and challenge existing norms. The blending of diverse educational experiences equips these students with a unique set of insights, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to the development of their own communities upon their return.
Cultivating Global Citizenship
“I’m going to donate the glass.” I said hesitantly to Brittany in the spring of 2021. “They can’t afford it for the building; the organization just bought the new building and they’re already tapped as it is helping everyone else in the community.”
She sighed, “An entire window of stained glass?”
“Two, actually… One upstairs, another near the front door. About $1700 worth of work. They do so much. Someone in our community should help them too.” I waited in silence for her to convince me otherwise. But instead, she put a hand on my shoulder.
“That’s a really good idea. I’m proud of you.”
One of the most significant sociological impacts of international travel for rural students is the cultivation of a sense of global citizenship. Immersed in a global community, these students develop an awareness of the interconnectedness of our world and the shared responsibility to address global challenges.
Living in a foreign country necessitates adapting to different values and communication styles. Acquiring adaptability as a skill set not only enriches the personal growth of rural students but also equips them with the skills to navigate diverse social landscapes. As global citizens, they are more likely to champion environmental and economic sustainability within their home communities.
Many years after that second Costa Rica journey, Brittany, having earned her doctorate, teaches college students in the hundreds each semester about food deserts, care deserts, global and local inequality, and a variety of social problems. Her class looks at the issues faced on local, national, and international levels while being sure to also address the “helpers” – those people, organizations, and institutions working out there to try to make the world a better place. She has taken some of the missives she learned about global citizenry and incorporates them in Sociology courses.
Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship
International exposure plays a pivotal role in shaping the economic landscape of rural communities. When students return with a global perspective, they often bring back innovative ideas and a newfound entrepreneurial spirit. The knowledge gained from experiencing different economies, business models, and industries abroad can be instrumental in kickstarting economic initiatives in rural areas.
Moreover, the network of international contacts built during their travels can open doors to global markets and collaborations. This expanding network, in turn, can create economic opportunities for the entire community. Rural students returning from abroad may become catalysts for economic empowerment, initiating projects that not only benefit themselves but also uplift the standard of living for their fellow community members.
Conclusion
The sociological impact when rural students travel abroad is profound and far-reaching. From breaking down societal barriers and enhancing educational perspectives to cultivating global citizenship and fostering economic empowerment, the benefits extend beyond the individual to the entire community. International travel for rural students is not just a personal journey; it is a transformative force that contributes to positive societal changes, creating a ripple effect that resonates within their communities for years to come. As we encourage more rural students to venture beyond their borders, we sow the seeds for a more interconnected, tolerant, and prosperous global society.
Brittany Presson, PhD. is a sociologist, Instructor of Sociology and Criminology, and Qualitative Methodologist and a member of the GCAC Board. Verity Tatum serves on the GCAC Board of Advisors and is a stained-glass artist, writer, and copy editor.
Global Citizen Adventure Corps is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating global citizens through education, service, and travel. By offering transferable college credit and donor-funded scholarships, GCAC actively builds pathways between rural high schools, universities, and a robust network of global nonprofit partners to provide travel program opportunities to underserved students. For more information visit www.globalcitizenadventurecorps.org.
Photo: Brittany Presson in Costa Rica.