In Spring 2025, Illinois introduced “ACES 298: Bridging Sustainable and Professional Development Goals in Panamá.” Through the collaboration and dedication of staff across campus, 20 first-generation Illinois students had the experience of a lifetime.
On March 14, 2025, 20 Illinois students left Chicago O’Hare Airport at 4 a.m. Five hours later, they touched down in Panamá. All were first-generation college students, and most were about to experience their first moments outside the United States.
Of course, they whipped out their smartphones when they exited the airport, but this was not just for a selfie or group photo in the Panamanian afternoon sun. No, these students were calling home to share their first moments as international travelers with their families.
From concept to reality
The students were part of the course, Bridging Sustainable and Professional Development Goals in Panamá. It was the two-year brainchild of a multidisciplinary collaboration between Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange (IAGE), Scholar Support Program (SSP), the Michael L. Jeffries, Sr. Center for Access and Academic Success (Jeffries Center), and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).
Many of these campus units provide programs and opportunities for first-generation students. Coincidentally, Kristine McCoskey, the director of SSP, which oversees programs including I-Promise, and Kimberly Alexander-Brown, the executive director of the Jeffries Center, reached out separately to Joy Phaphouvaninh, the director of IAGE, to discuss their ideas for a study-abroad program for these students. Phaphouvaninh would eventually bring the two together.
“Throughout my career, I’ve developed a strong passion for creating opportunities abroad for students who may not otherwise believe that experiencing other cultures is within their reach,” said Alexander-Brown when reflecting on the initial conversations.
With the dream becoming a reality, the group had to lay the groundwork for not just a new 16-week course but an entire program that included taking students overseas. McCoskey, Alexander-Brown, and Phaphouvaninh added to the planning team, including Casey Moore, SSP assistant director, Jennifer Mendez, the director of first-generation student initiatives at the Jeffries Center, and Ali Freter, director of the ACES study abroad program. The group met regularly over a year to determine the program’s specifics, including eligibility criteria, program destination, student and parent engagement, learning objectives, and much more. Inspired by the university’s Vision 2030 Global Strategy, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals served as the group’s framework to help students apply what they learned in Panamá to their own communities, as well as further their career goals.
New experiences
The course began in full swing during the spring semester of 2025. The goal of the first eight weeks was to prepare students for their ensuing travel. Various speakers were brought in to ensure the students were ready, including sessions on survival Spanish, cultural intelligence, and ethical travel. Additionally, with so many of the students being first-time international travelers, the course partnered with the Urbana Post Office, which sent a clerk to campus to aid students in securing a passport. Thanks to funding from the Jeffries Center and SSP, these 20 students would be venturing to Panamá for seven days virtually free of cost.
From the time the students arrived in Panamá City until their departure, their days were jammed packed with instruction, service projects, and exploration.
On their first full day, the group visited the Miraflores Locks to learn about the goods entering and leaving Panamá. They also worked with a local nonprofit organization and children from the Casco Viejo neighborhood to clean a nearby beach and visit a community garden.
Day three brought the students to a local fish market, the Smithsonian Tropical Institute, and the Biodiversity Museum. Subsequent days included visits with the Emberá-Wounaan indigenous community, meetings with Peace Corps representatives and green business entrepreneurs, a journey to the Isla Taboga, and a trek through the Parque Natural Metropolitano, the only city-based natural park in Latin America.
With the adventure of a lifetime in the books, the group headed home to complete the final eight weeks of their course, culminating with a project to showcase all they had learned.
The Promise of Illinois
Providing access to first-generation students doesn’t end when they are accepted to Illinois. Programs on campus, such as those offered by the Jeffries Center and SSP, ensure that students have the resources needed to succeed in their classes and also the opportunities to broaden their world view and gain valuable experience.
“Studying abroad can be extraordinarily rewarding and each student will have different takeaways but, on balance, it challenges worldviews and assumptions, fosters resilience and problem solving, allows for exploration of new cultures and customs, and gives students the tools to build self-authorship and a mindset that reinforces growth and curiosity. Those skills, abilities, and attributes will serve them well not only in their careers, but throughout their lives,” said McCoskey.
