Simon Brody Caplan and Rachel Brzezicki, two college students in Columbia’s Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development (SDEV), focus on their research overseas experiences and provide recommendation to college students who want to embark on related adventures.
Q&A with Simon Brody Caplan
Simon Brody Caplan, a fourth technology Angeleno, accomplished his SDEV diploma in February ’24. He’s now again in Los Angeles, working as a marketing consultant at EcoMotion, a sustainability options agency he interned for in the course of the summer season of 2023. Obsessed with vitality, native politics and environmental legislation, he additionally finds time for his hobbies, together with climbing, browsing and martial arts.
What drew you to the Sustainable Improvement main?
I wished to assist preserve and defend a viable and delightful pure world, however I imagine we are able to’t try this except peoples’ fundamental wants are met first. This led me to worth the inclusive and socially concerned framework that sustainable improvement offers. Additionally, environmental and climatic points are pressing and nicely understood scientifically, so it’s time to give attention to political and institutional interventions. I felt the sustainable improvement main would assist me higher perceive how all these aspects come collectively and relate to one another.
What are a few of your profession aspirations? How did the SDEV program have an effect on these aspirations?
I need to go to mattress at evening feeling like my work makes a distinction, even when it’s a small one. SDEV has performed quite a bit to make me take into account the ethics at play in our world financial system, in addition to the implications of world local weather change. My schooling has made me extra dedicated to taking motion to fight local weather change.
Share some details about your expertise overseas.
This system I used to be a part of on the College for Worldwide Coaching was referred to as Argentina: Individuals, Setting, and Local weather Change in Patagonia and Antarctica. We had been primarily based in Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Locals name Ushuaia the tip of the world. It’s fairly far south, on the southern finish of Tierra del Fuego. I’d say it’s essentially the most lovely panorama I’ve ever seen, however whereas overseas I additionally had the privilege to go to Antarctica, which can take the cake. My research overseas highlights embrace working with Magellanic penguins within the Beagle Channel, creating my very own analysis challenge with a neighborhood biologist, plenty of late dinners with an exceptional host household, hikes of a lifetime and connecting with native of us.
Why did you need to spend a semester overseas and the way lengthy did it take so that you can put together for the journey?
I used to be fascinated about doing this system I selected for 2 major causes: I wished to enhance my Spanish abilities and revel within the pure great thing about the area. I’m positively a significantly better Spanish speaker now, and spending time in the great thing about Southern Patagonia didn’t disappoint. I went overseas throughout my final semester, as soon as I had accomplished all my SDEV necessities, so organizing the journey was administratively straightforward. A lot of the administrative work took a couple of month and a half to wrap up.
What was one of the best half about your semester overseas? What was essentially the most difficult half?
There have been a variety of finest components about my semester overseas. It’s good to really feel such as you’ve made a life someplace and that you may return and dwell there in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later. Extra particularly, it was superb to have a powerful connection to my host household, and it was nice to have the ability to discover a brand new panorama. The impartial research challenge choice that SIT provides has the potential to be very attention-grabbing and I discovered my Impartial Examine Mission much more illuminating and gratifying than my SDEV senior capstone challenge.
What recommendation do you could have for college kids who need to do a semester overseas?
Do it, and provides your self a while to settle in and don’t fear an excessive amount of within the first few weeks. Additionally, make an effort to attach along with your host household when you have one and provides your self the chance to dive in by being versatile in way of life, eating regimen, schedule and so on.
Q&A with Rachel Brzezicki
Rachel Brzezicki, initially from Kent County, Delaware, is presently a junior within the SDEV program. Past her educational pursuits, she finds inspiration in watching nature and journey documentaries. She likes to be taught new languages on Duolingo and discover reveals and occasions throughout New York Metropolis. Just lately, she has delved into watercolor portray as a brand new artistic outlet.
What drew you to the Sustainable Improvement main or particular focus?
I’ve been acutely aware of local weather change and sustainability for so long as I can bear in mind, however it wasn’t till the pandemic that I really felt its urgency. I used to be making use of to varsity throughout that point, on the lookout for packages that might equip me with technical abilities, area experiences and provide a holistic, actionable understanding of environmental research. Columbia had essentially the most distinctive and complete program by far. The experiences I’ve had because of this continually reaffirm my ardour for sustainable improvement.
What are a few of your profession aspirations? How did SDEV affect these aspirations?
I’m notably fascinated about nature-based options and the way they will enhance communities’ high quality of life whereas functioning in tandem with the ecosystems they’re located in. I need to contribute to analysis whereas utilizing nature-based options as a device for advocacy. SDEV has actually made the many of the alternatives that include being in NYC, however past it. I used to be in a position to spend a weekend within the Catskills studying concerning the administration of NYC’s high-quality ingesting water and the stakeholders concerned in sustaining the system. I’ve gotten to listen to from visitor audio system and professors working in environmental justice, city ecology and lots of different areas. On the similar time, SDEV permits me to take programs in each the pure and social sciences. I take pleasure in area work and information evaluation, however I additionally care about understanding historic and political contexts. SDEV lets me to do all of it and construct a holistic strategy to sustainability.
Share some details about your expertise overseas.
I spent the 2023 fall semester in Costa Rica, studying firsthand concerning the nation’s cultural dedication to sustainability. I visited natural farms, agroforests, nationwide parks, wildlife refuges, cloud forests and extra. I spent the final month of this system engaged on a directed analysis challenge in Monteverde, finding out the limitations to meals entry folks locally face, associated to tourism, transportation and Verdes community currency. We spent every week surveying group members and farmer’s market distributors and guests, gathering grocery pricing information and dealing with the Monteverde Institute to know how a neighborhood farmer’s market is assembly its objectives of addressing meals safety and facilitating social cohesion.
Why did you need to spend a semester overseas and the way lengthy did it take so that you can put together for the journey?
I’ve been lengthy fascinated in Costa Rica’s dedication to sustainability and environmental safety. Since I used to be in highschool, I’ve wished to check overseas there to be taught extra about it. I utilized for this system in February 2023. It didn’t take lengthy to arrange, particularly since I used to be nearly completed with the SDEV main and many of the programs I took in Costa Rica would fulfill the remaining necessities I wanted.
What was one of the best half about your semester overseas? What was essentially the most difficult half?
I be taught finest when I’m actively within the area and this was one of the best program for that. Each day, each week was completely different, with a lot of our time spent on in a single day area journeys to completely different components of the nation. I didn’t have to fret about exploring the nation alone as a result of we noticed a lot of it as a part of this system. Probably the most difficult facet was a scarcity of non-public area and privateness. There have been 24 folks in my cohort. We slept, ate and studied collectively. Whereas I made some actually good buddies because of this construction, I want I had extra alone time to actually recharge once I wanted to.
What recommendation do you could have for college kids who need to do a semester overseas?
Make sure that this system you have an interest in aligns along with your private objectives. Attain out to a number of alumni and ask their candid opinions, each good and unhealthy.
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