The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is preparing for its Maymester trip to Jinotega, Nicaragua. The trip will take place May 10-May 29.

Seven students will be accompanied on this trip by Dr. James “Jim” Carpenter, department chair and associate professor, and Dr. Kendra Jernigan, assistant professor of environmental science.

This trip is made possible by Wildcat Academics on Mission, which is run through the Halbert Center for Missions and Global Service.

Jernigan said while they are there, they will be working with an organization called Mision para Cristo that focuses its efforts on partnering with local communities and congregations.

“We, in particular, will be focusing on helping develop, or build, bio sand filters, water purification systems, that are pretty easy to construct and easy to maintain,” Jernigan said. “We will also be working on constructing composting latrines, or composting toilets.”

Since this is also an educational trip, Carpenter said the students will get to visit a working farm, among other places, to see how conventional agriculture is done in that region of Nicaragua.

COVID-19 won’t have much of an impact on the work the students will do when they get to Nicaragua. Carpenter said everyone going on the trip is required to be vaccinated, and they will have to receive negative COVID tests before flying. Masks will also be worn on the entire trip.

Jernigan said this trip will give students an opportunity to have cross-cultural communications while also serving as the hands and feet of Christ.

“From past experience, students will be humbled,” Carpenter said. “Students will become more grateful for what they have, but I hope even more so students will feel more comfortable looking at other people from different places and thinking of them as brothers and sisters.”