This upcoming Short Term A begins on Jan. 2 and features three classes that center around a travel experience. One of the highlights of this short term is the Costa Rica Comparative Healthcare Cohort Program. Students will take classes to prepare for a 10-day service trip to Costa Rica. 

“A lot of the trips we have been offering ([including] Oaxaca, Costa Rica) have been waiting in the wings since before the pandemic, so we are just so excited to get these offerings out to students,” says Short Term Director and Spanish teacher Joy Lewis-Méndez. “I am especially excited about the public health angle of this Costa Rica trip, which will be something I learn about right alongside the students—it’s not at all my expertise!” 

The structure of these courses will be similar to the Oaxaca short term classes students took during Short Term B last year. The main difference is the destination of the trips, as well as the fact that this trip is specifically a service trip, rather than a language trip. 

Two other notable classes that are taking place during this upcoming short term are the Gullah Geechee and Down Yonder winter alternative break (AltBreak) classes. These classes will prepare students selected for the AltBreak winter service trips. Students in the Gullah Geechee class will travel to the Southeast Atlantic coast and students in the Down Yonder will travel to rural Georgia over winter break in 2024. “Seeing the overview of incredible offerings we have at this school, whether it be Mississippi Delta, Sapelo Island, Quebec, Oaxaca and what is in store for the future (possibly Thailand [and] Guatemala) is unique and exciting for students and faculty alike. I think these types of trips really change your life,” Lewis-Méndez says.