How land-based learning in Belize is uplifting education and changing lives
In May 2025, New College student Sung Park had a powerful realization as she walked the land cared for by Manuel, a Mayan farmer in Belize.
“We grew up in completely different worlds, but it was so easy to bond and find common ground,” she says. “I felt fully present, alive and human in a way that’s hard to come by in today’s world.”
Park was in Belize with a group of nine students selected to participate in the 2025 Indigeneity, Food and Sustainability International Experience Trip. Together with a supervising faculty member, the students spent a week in the Caribbean country learning about Indigenous farming practices and food policies, the histories and traditions of Indigenous peoples in Belize and implications for food security and sustainability.
Park, who graduated in June with a double major in Health & Disease and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, says her experiences opened her eyes to critical new perspectives.
“At IXCACAO, the only Mayan-Belizean owned chocolate factory in Belize, making chocolate by hand reminded me how easily we forget the people, history and care behind the food we eat,” she says. “And cooking with local families reminded me that food is not just a commodity but a way of sustaining relationships, heritage and identity.”
Over a decade of land-based learning
The Indigeneity, Food and Sustainability International Experience Program was founded in 2013 through a unique partnership between New College, the Centre for Learning Abroad (CELA) and Dr. Filiberto Penados, a Maya scholar at Galen University in Belize. With an aim to keep costs to a minimum for students, the program is funded by New College, the Faculty of Arts & Science, participating programs and donor support.
Each year, up to ten students from Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, Caribbean Studies, Indigenous Studies, Human Biology and First Nations House programs travel to Belize to visit field sites and meet Indigenous farmers, activists and scholars. They also engage in place-based learning as they live and participate in three different Indigenous communities over the course of the trip.
For many students, the impact of this land-based learning program is profound.
“Some of the most powerful moments occur during reflective sessions led by Dr. Penados, where students come together to share their insights and analysis of each day’s activities,” says June Larkin, the program’s coordinator. “The range of perspectives they bring to these discussions sparks rich dialogue, inspires excitement and empowers them to integrate this knowledge into their academic studies, future careers and civic engagement.”
Larkin says many past participants have gone on to pursue careers focused on Indigenous rights and food justice.
“Past participants have pursued graduate studies in Indigenous food systems, founded community-based food organizations, taken on global roles in food security and become lawyers advocating for Indigenous rights.”
Transformational impact rooted in donor support
In addition to their land-based learning experiences, each participant took away unique insights from the trip that often influence the course of their lives.
Maya Salman, an Indigenous Studies student who plans to pursue a law career, says the trip reignited her passion for Indigenous land rights.
“Meeting activists who fought and continue to fight against state expansion into their territories contextualized my understanding of these struggles in lived experiences,” she says. “It helped me realize the value of my education and reminded me why I chose this path.”
Jasmine McLaughlin-Morgan, who is pursuing a double major in Caribbean Studies and Political Science, says the experience — including mentorship from Dr. Penados — challenged her to pursue a more innovative approach to her studies.
“Dr. Penados taught me to view my many interests and curious mind as a site of empowerment rather than one of shame,” she says. “He inspired me to find ways to infuse art, anthropology and archaeology into my studies and future career trajectory.”
McLaughlin-Morgan says this transformative trip would not have been possible for her and her peers without the support of New College’s donor community.
“Donors are the backbone of experiences that change the lives of students like me, who then go on to make change in the world.”
Salman agrees.
“As a student who is completely dependent on financial aid to attend university, travel abroad experiences were not accessible to me until I discovered this trip,” she says. “Donor support means worthy students have a chance to participate when they may otherwise have been overlooked.”
Over the last decade, this program has become more than just a trip, but a catalyst for personal growth, a new way of seeing the world, and a call to action that shapes values and future paths. By connecting deeply with land, culture and community, the students are carrying forward lessons that resonate long after they return home, inspiring meaningful change in their lives and beyond.