Liz '17 - Cullman Scholar in the Dominican Republic
“I travelled to the Dominican Republic for two weeks with Rustic Pathways on a service-learning marine biology trip.” says Liz ’17, of her Cullman Scholarship trip. Through the generosity of the Cullman Family and the Cullman Scholarship program, students have the opportunity to travel around the world on independent learning endeavors. “My group arrived at Santo Domingo airport late at night and travelled east to the coastal town of Bayahibe. We worked with the local organization FUNDEMAR. We split up into three groups and helped them with various tasks both in and out of the water. . . I helped FUNDEMAR make buoys to prevent boats from harming coral, traps to protect coral from harmful fire worms, and collected trash data from different locations to help FUNDEMAR create a report to send to the Dominican Government for better trash services.”
From the home base in Bayahibe, Liz toured the coast in search of dolphins and manatees, attended an early morning turtle walk on Isle Iona, played dominos and practiced Spanish with locals, and zip lined through the forest. When the service work continued, Liz’s group of fourteen helped “lead a day camp through an organization called Corezon o Corezon for some local kids. The goal was to teach these children about the importance of the marine life around them while also having fun,” Liz recalls.
Looking back on the trip as a whole, Liz recalls, “The level of dedication and passion of the members of FUNDEMAR is truly a rare thing and I am lucky to have worked with such wonderful people. My experience in the Dominican Republic is one that I’ll never forget. I strongly encourage all sophomores and juniors to apply for the Cullman Scholarship.”
From the home base in Bayahibe, Liz toured the coast in search of dolphins and manatees, attended an early morning turtle walk on Isle Iona, played dominos and practiced Spanish with locals, and zip lined through the forest. When the service work continued, Liz’s group of fourteen helped “lead a day camp through an organization called Corezon o Corezon for some local kids. The goal was to teach these children about the importance of the marine life around them while also having fun,” Liz recalls.
Looking back on the trip as a whole, Liz recalls, “The level of dedication and passion of the members of FUNDEMAR is truly a rare thing and I am lucky to have worked with such wonderful people. My experience in the Dominican Republic is one that I’ll never forget. I strongly encourage all sophomores and juniors to apply for the Cullman Scholarship.”
