Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation and Research

It was so much fun and I learned so much. My favorite part was getting to see the turtles come up the shore in the night time. Our leaders were the best and took good care of us and made sure we stayed very safe.

I loved it. You won't ever get such amazing experiences anywhere else, personally or professionally. On top of that, they had amazing activities like kayaking, a chocolate tour, and seeing the community. I'd gladly do it again.

The staff were amazing. I was able to make mistakes and learn from them without fear. I felt so safe and comfortable with them. They really took care of us. They also showed us so many increible things like the night time turtles and clinic.

I came to the trip hoping to learn more about conservation and veterinary medicine. I accomplished not only this goal, but expanded my perspective on how culture, language, and so much more are connected to veterinary medicine. I also met some truly amazing fellow students!

I couldn't have asked for a better first trip abroad! Seeing so many gorgeous wild animals up close has given me a new perspective. I can't wait to work as a vet or in conservation and do stuff like this every day!

The Costa Rica sea turtles program was super fun and special to be part of. It was cool to do conservation & vet work, especially with the sterilization campaign. It was still school and learning but also relaxing and fun too!

This was my first abroad program and it couldn't have been more wonderful! The staff was so energetic and understanding and really wanted us to have adventures while learning about the animals and culture of Costa Rica! The hands-on experience was once in a lifetime!

This trip provided me with valuable experience to help prepare me for vet school We were able to get both vet experience and research experience that will truly make my VMCAS application stand out! Plus our leader was the best leader and mentor we could have asked for!

This trip was so amazing and educational. I was challengee and taken out of my comfort zone in the best ways, and got to do some insane things I never would've done in clas. It's been a wonderful and magical two weeks. Everyone should experience this!

I loved the spay and neuter campaign. We got hands on experience and we got to do real veterinary things. I loved the national park hike too. We got to see lots of cool wildlife there. The staff went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and engaged.

This is my first Loop program and I'm very grateful that this was my first. It has made me fall more in love with the field of wildlife vet medicine. And solidified my passions in life. I also ended up with the best people that welcomed my jokey personality. This is a trip I will truly never forget.

This trip was a good mix of research and conservation. I felt the work I did had important value to the sea turtle & mangrove populations. Though we had to work on the turtle's time, it was a new experience for me to be hands-on with marine animals & it was super important for me

If you want a program that is completely hands-on and will show you what career in conservation will actually be like, this is for you! I felt extremely connected with the culture and the local area & I learned a lot about this country.

The staff were wonderful and knowledgeable. The LAST group also were so helpful in teaching us about Sea Turtles and Mangroves. The whole program really shows you what we can do to help the ecosystem. I loved the whole experience.

Like the past few weeks, this has really been a life changing experience. By coming on this trip, I know where my professional career is heading. All the staff members were amazing, inspiring and funny people!

The sea turtle research and conservation program was absolutely phenomenal. Getting to work with sea turtles directly was truly a life changing experience and I learned so much! We had an exceptional instructor that made everything we did fun and educational.

I liked going to the national park by boat because it was really pretty and we got to see a lot of animals. I really liked how our instructor taught and she made the experience great. This trip has helped my future career.

I really enjoyed the castration event. I felt that I gained the most experience as a student with hands on work during that. We had the best instructor she was so fun and 100% had our best interest at heart.

I have always wanted to go abroad to study veterinary medicine. This trip was amazing and show cased a different side of veterinary medicine that I had never seen. I had no research or aquatic experience before going on this trip, but that didn’t matter they were happy to teach you what to do and I felt confident when interacting with the animals. There was also a one day spay and neuter clinic which was fun being able to do expand my skills on something I was more confident in. I truly believe this trip was one of the reasons I got into vet school!

This trip is something that opened my eyes to the wonders of conservation work. The trip was only a week but I got a glimpse into the hard work that goes into preserving this beautiful country like working in the pouring rain, covering my hands in mud, and being surrounded by bugs; I loved every minute. We help LAST with their turtle conservation project, mangrove reforestation and beach clean-ups. We also got to explore some hiking trails and be emerged in Costa Rica's natural beauty. Something that bothered me is that some of the girls on my trip seemed pretty ethnocentric, I don't think they realized that the trip was not going to be luxury and we were here to do work. They all seemed to be more interested in veterinary work, so if you go on this trip make sure you understand that it is conservation work, not a luxurious vacation. That being said, this is an experience I feel that you can't get anywhere else if you were to be a regular tourist, and I do not regret it in the slightest. This trip helped me to see what it takes to do conservation work abroad, as well as make connections and learn more about volunteering in foreign countries.