July 7-16, 2027, Kirkwood Community College will once again host its Guatemala Study Abroad with ImagininGuatemala for students to take for credit while also experiencing the culture and life in Guatemala.
The partnership between ImagininGuatemala and Kirkwood originally began with now retired Kirkwood Professor Lisa Hebl and her students.
Hebl was featured on KCRG’s Surprise Squad in July earlier this year for her work with The Guatemala Project, a supporting non-profit for ImagininGuatemala.
As she told KCRG, her students had a patient going on a mission trip. Hebl found interest in the trip, and although she was unable to attend, it led her to another opportunity of helping at a newly opened dental clinic in Guatemala. From there, her connections grew and Hebl began the service-learning study abroad program in 2006.
Since Hebl’s retirement, professors Kristie McKibben and Sondra Gates have continued Hebl’s work. Wanting to do a service-learning project together, McKibben and Gates saw Hebl’s work as an opportunity.
“It seemed a shame not to continue it. We couldn’t imagine just letting it fizzle out,” said Gates.
Now, with The Guatemala Project, Hebl “doesn’t travel with students anymore, but she gathers community group members to go down and build houses.”
Much of the trip is dedicated to building homes for families in Guatemala. As students work with Guatemalan builders and the family who will live in the home they build, they get to be immersed in the surrounding culture and build deep connections.
“When we hand over the key to the house, there’s just tears all around because we’ve done this thing together that has changed both of our lives,” Gates said. “It gives you a whole new outlook on life. You see your own life, your own house and your own accommodations so differently after seeing the way other people live.”
While there is the mission aspect of the trip, Gates also noted that students get to do activities. One of the activities includes touring a coffee farm, where they pick and roast coffee beans for the “freshest cup of coffee they’ve ever had in their lives,” as Gates said. Students also get to try traditional weaving.
Despite the fact the trip is estimated to be $4,000, students who are interested have many opportunities to get funding, including Kirkwood’s $1,000 Global Advantage Scholarship which students can apply for.
This October, two of the lead staff of ImagininGuatemala, Edilser “Edy” Hernández Ordóñez and Alexis Vásquez García, will be visiting Kirkwood to talk about the trip.
Although the exact dates are to be determined, Global Learning will have the information when it’s available. McKibben and Gates are also open to questions concerning the trip if interested.
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