Smiling with my raised garden bed team after completing our second new raised bed at the school

Author: Claire Meara | Major: Environmental, Soil, and Water Science

My name is Claire Meara and I just completed my freshman year at the University of Arkansas as an Environmental, Soil, and Water Science Student. I also recently returned from spending a month in Belize on a U of A Faculty-Led: Service Learning trip Through Community Partnerships for the summer term of 2022.

I chose this program for many reasons, the first being my academic advisor, Dr. Lisa Wood leads this trip and brought it up to me during our advising session. It sounded right up my alley, with hands on work outdoors, gardening projects, and working in a National Park. This trip has advanced my academic and professional goals by solidifying my relationship with three great professors, creating two new global connections with Peacework, strengthening my leadership abilities, and expanding my horizons tremendously. The three professors who facilitated this trip were absolutely amazing, getting dirty on the site right along with us. They were very open-minded and took every instance as a learning opportunity to help us grow. We had great guided discussions and journal prompts that definitely got us thinking about what we were experiencing, and they were always there for us no matter what. I truly believe that learning hands on in the field is an opportunity that everyone should have, and to not be in the classroom, but rather to learn by critical thinking and exposure was a valuable experience.

I can’t communicate enough how grateful I am to not only have done impactful, lasting work, but to have also left with fifteen amazing new friends. The work was grueling with our blood (thanks doctor flies), sweat (drenched every day), and tears (mostly from laughter), yet so rewarding. We worked on many projects during our time in Belize and

in total, as a team at St. Matthew’s Anglican School, we built an entire poultry facility (including houses for broilers and layers), four raised garden beds, and a high tunnel with seedlings planted. We also organized lesson plans to teach over a week of classes as well as read one on one with struggling readers. Apart from the school, we worked in the community one on one with Palliative Care, created a Covid Vaccination Mural for the local hospital, and did some work at Bocawina National Park.

This was the experience of a lifetime, completely immersing ourselves in the community and culture and not only coming back with new friends at Arkansas, but leaving many new friends behind in Belize. We learned how to make the traditional Garifuna Drums, make Hudut (a traditional meal in the Garifuna Culture), and visited a Cacao Farm and learned about their practices. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who isn’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone or who wants to challenge themselves. This program was life changing and puts so much into perspective. I wish I knew before how different I’d be when I came back and knew how impactful this experience would be. I can’t thank the people of Dangriga enough for being the most welcoming, easy going, friendly people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Thank you Dangriga!