For more

 Past students and parents answers

  • Cultural exposure, science experience

    Rich experience from a trusted source (friends with the Hardins and Offermanns)

    We learned about the trip from our high school's college counselor. We liked the length of the program and size of the group, and the chance for our rising senior to have an independent experience in another country.

    In-the-field research opportunity with professionals, automony for my child, travel, unique experiences, recommendations

    The opportunity for our high school daughter to have hands-on research opportunities in an amazing ecosystem with a well established, respected organization.

    I thought it would be perfect for my critter and adventure loving son.

  • Professional materials, feedback from previous parents

    Familiar with the program from friends (word of mouth)

    I spoke to at least two other parents from our high school whose students had done the trip in previous years. Both had wonderful things to say about the experience.

    My daughter's desire, character, and maturity; recommendations from friends; meeting with Beth and Shannon online and later with Shannon and other families in person; Shannon's prior experience, knowledge, and preparedness; having a WhatsApp parent link and daily blog

    Knowing the chaperone, being familiar with the program (her older brother participated a couple of years ago), the price, the daily regiment of the research project, the high expectations of teens.

    I have friends whose kids went and were well taken care of. I also was comfortable that my son was skilled enough to handle his diabetes on his own and that he could get what he needed if in trouble.

Parent testimonials to parents considering the trip

  • First, we felt extremely comfortable with our kids being under the guidance of Seeds of Change. It was a rich experience in Costa Rica as well as an incredible immersive learning opportunity. It is wonderful how Shannon and team prepare the kids prior to the trip, so they landed ready to engage in the field studies. We love how they go from a chocolate tasting at the cocoa bean farm to formal field studies to hiking/horseback riding and so much more, even the food is amazing! Whether a purist of the ant studies or someone who is passionate about nature, this trip provides a wonderful learning opportunity and an experience that expands their knowledge and informs their future.

  • While the chance to lead their own significant research project with a leading academic expert is the focus of this trip, it turned out to be just one of many amazing experiences. My son loved everything about Costa Rica, including the rainforest and the beach, the food, the people and the focus on sustainability.

  • This is a treasure of an opportunity for science-minded students to get an immersive dive into real life science. The work is rigorous and authentic, overseen and coached by experts.

  • The location is gorgeous and inspiring. And the activites are fun, educational, and friendship-building. I personally love how the chaperones gave the kids autonomy yet kept them safe and supported. My daughter came away from this trip with a strong group of friends, pride in the work they accomplished, and a broader sense of the world and her place in it. Priceless.

  • This is an incredible trip for your high school student to experience hands-on research in an amazing location in the rainforest. It was life changing for my daughter and an opportunity she will always treasure. The people, the food, the science, the rainforest, the chocolate- It was all amazing. Highly recommend it!

  • This trip was transformative for my teen in so many ways. It really gave him confidence in his abilities as a student, he came back with the "swagger" of independence, and he had a great time connecting deeply with a set of individuals who share a common interest with similar intensity to his.

Student feedback and testimonials

On my first trip, two other people and I woke up early to go on a run through the jungle.  It was amazing to just explore and see such a different environment.  [Note:  a chaperone accompanied the students on this morning jog.]

  • I loved every second of these trips! Costa Rica is such a magical place. The smell of rain, the songs of strange birds and frogs, and the breathtaking views of the rainforest and mountains. Oh, and the FOOD! The Costa Rican rainforest is lively yet peaceful. My favorite memory is of one of our many night hikes. We came across a clearing where the path we had followed became wider. Resting on a bed of dewy grass sat a Bushmaster, a rarely seen and extremely venomous snake. We all came to a halt and observed this road block from a distance. We all got super excited and took hundreds of pictures of it. We devised a plan to carefully and quietly sneak around the giant snake. As we slowly crept through the grass, we realized it was actually a tree root, complete with bark that resembled the markings of the serpent we believed it to be.

  • Listening to all of the different presentations that everyone had put together

  • I loved spending time at the beach patrolling for sea turtles and diving for rays. Such an adventure!

  • I really loved the cacao farm we stayed at! The mornings there were beautiful and I'll never forget the experience.

  • Really enjoyed the food, also all the activities beyond the science, night hike, butterfly house thing, science was awesome too

  • My favorite memory was walking along the beach searching for turtle tracks in the middle of the night. I got to have really deep conversations with everyone in my group, look at the stars, and mess around in the sand

  • Staying in the lab with my friends late at night to finish writing our lab reports

  • Most DEFINITELY the night we went on the beach walk to look for turtles. It was so beautiful and it was nice to just hang out with everyone after all the research we had done.

  • Hiking the trails in the pitch black surrounded by the jungle. [Note: we do a guided night hike on a trail on Finca la Anita, with scientists and chaperones leading the students.]

  • I loved meeting the community and working on the ground with current scientists and having the chance to aid in their research.

  • The turtle research center on the coast

  • Eating wild guava on horseback as it just started to rain

  • One of my favorite memories was cooking in Aracelli’s kitchen

  • Loved the opportunity to work with professionals.

  • I absolutely loved our cooking class in Colonia Libertad, getting to meet so many different people, and learning how to make tortillas and churros. As well, I was a big fan of the cacao tour and getting to hike to the waterfall, in general getting to have experiences unlike anything back home.

  • The food was great, so was the scenery

Where are they now

Some of our past trip participants have pursued science careers but many enjoyed the trip despite not being on a STEM path:

In college studying computer science
Jake

 Helicopter flight instructor


Luke

 PhD student in cellular and molecular biology at University of Chicago
Heather

In college studying music

Jesse

In Master's program for environmental science

Isabella

In college for photography

Reid

Just completed Americorps year


Grayson

In college for graphic design

Annabelle

In college for pre med


Hannah

 In college studying biology


Emma

In college studying ecology and evolutionary biology

Lucas

  Emergency Medical Technician 


Drew

 Paramedic training


Andru

In college studying marketing


Grace