UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler to Participate in 2012 “Project Costa Rica”

March 1, 2012

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

March 1, 2012

Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Public Affairs Specialist
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.565.5769 or 903.539.7196 (cell)

Five students at The University of Texas at Tyler will participate in a joint community service project in Costa Rica, UT Tyler President Rodney Mabry announced.

Continuing to provide UT Tyler students a well-rounded educational experience through community service, the university will for the third time partner with Tyler Junior College in “Project Costa Rica: Community Service in the Rain Forest.” Five $1,000 stipends were awarded this year to UT Tyler students interested in this unique endeavor.

Recipients are Karen Davis of Celeste, Leah Lopez of Spring, Raul Ramos of Longview, Brooke Sadler of Bedford and Terra Taylor of Henderson.

This year, students will travel on May 14 – 23, 2012 and work with medical professionals in Dos Rios as part of a community health fair aimed at providing various health screenings and training. They also will participate in a reforestation project in the Rincon Rainforest and visit the Peace Corps headquarters in San Jose where they will meet with several volunteers to learn about their service experiences.

“In addition to the community service component, Project Costa Rica offers the students a large variety of other experiences aimed at enhancing their understanding of the social, political, economic and environmental forces that form cultural perspectives,” said Dr. Peter Rogers, UT Tyler assistant professor of civil engineering and project adviser.

UT Tyler applicants were chosen based upon GPA and full-time student status, as well as a letter of recommendation from a professor, employer or community service representative, verification of interest in community service, leadership skills and university and community event participation, he added.

For more information about Project Costa Rica, contact Rogers, 903.565.5872 or progers@uttyler.edu.

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.