Alumni Catch Up: Meira Harris

It's been a year since Meira Harris (on the right side) joined the ICDS family and she is constantly remembered by all of us! So we were obviously wondering what has this energetic, positive, and hardworking woman has been doing lately and how her experiences at ICDS have help her in her life. Continue reading to find out!

What motivated you to study abroad and select Costa Rica and ICDS’ program?

I chose to study in Costa Rica in the ICDS program because it was relevant to my major and because I had heard that Costa Rica is an amazing country that is beautiful, very different from New York, and safe. The program was through my university, which also really assisted the process and made it an obvious choice.

Did you know something about Costa Rica before deciding to come?

I knew that Costa Rica was a beautiful, safe country that is very biodiverse and peaceful because they do not have an army. I knew that Costa Rica invested its army funds into education and healthcare, making it a very progressive country in terms of social services.

Did you have any preconceived ideas/expectations about Costa Rica? how did your time here affected those ideas?

I expected the country to be less developed because of experiences my parents had there about 20 or 25 years ago. I did not know what to think of San José before arriving.

Can you mention some of your favorite academic and leisure experiences while you were at ICDS?

I loved the trips we took on the weekends and with ICDS, though the Nicaragua trip could have been more involved. I really loved going to the farm where I volunteered, and getting to know the socially conscious country.

How did your experience at ICDS helped you in your professional/academic life?

I have been at my internship since returning from Latin America, and this NGO (The Synergos Institute) works on global poverty, which I learned about while in Costa Rica. This knowledge helped me to obtain this internship and understand the multi-dimensionality of poverty. Additionally, I got to see the world from a very different worldview.

Why should people join ICDS’ programs?

This is a great program if you are interested in learning about Costa Rica or Latin America and living that experience. ICDS makes living abroad very simple, while still challenging the students.

--Meira Harris

For more inforation on ICDS' programs visit our website or contact us http://www.icds.ac.cr/