My name is Emma Koessl I am a senior this year at CofC, this is my last semester here, certainly a bitter-sweet feeling. I am double majoring in International Business and Accounting with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Sustainability and 21st Century Business Solutions. I am participating in the Costa Rica summer study abroad program where we will be traveling throughout the country, touring and working with multiple different supply chain manufacturing plants. This program interests me because supply chain is an area of business that is taking highly advanced actions to become more efficient and sustainable. Not only am I interested in this program for the educational side I have wanted to study abroad in a country where Spanish is the primary language. I think it is incredibly important to take what you have learned in school and apply it to the real world. It is exciting to me that I can apply my Spanish-speaking skills in this country and build on them. In order to fulfill my study abroad requirement for my International Business degree, myself and one other student will be staying a week longer than my colleagues and we will be actively working with the community. I am especially excited about this portion of the program, one of my passions is to serve communities in need and service the people there. My goal for this program is to become more fluent in Spanish and to understand on a deeper level how supply chain works and how future generations can make the channels more sustainable, efficient and reliable. During my research of Costa Rica, I have quickly come to realize that we are going during the rainy season, so I am preparing for the torrential downpours that will be happening every afternoon. Other than the rain I have read about the incredible biodiversity and lushness of the tropical rainforests surrounding the area. I am excited to be able to experience and have the opportunity to appreciate the country. I am looking forward to sharing more about Costa Rica and hopefully inspiring others to do this program!Hasta la vista!