UF and UNED Students Collaborate on Communities and Entrepreneurship Project
This semester, students in the SPN3948 Spanish in the Community course partnered with peers from Costa Rica’s Universidad Estatal a Distancia on a joint project titled Communities and Entrepreneurship. Through this collaboration, students examined Hispanic communities in the United States, focusing on issues such as displacement and militarization, and contrasted them with Costa Rica’s unique civilian history and social experiences.
The project led students to develop entrepreneurship proposals in Costa Rica’s tourism sector, aiming to reduce rural-to-urban migration and, potentially, emigration. By supporting local tourism, they hope to foster community stability and local economic growth.
Faculty leaders Antonio Sajid López and Yorleny Fontana Coto made this project possible through UF’s Virtual Exchange program at the International Center. The project aligns with goals for promoting decent work and economic growth, reducing inequalities, and building sustainable cities and communities. This collaboration was also supported by UF’s Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and Deborah Hendrix.