For many first-year engineering students, their perception of what it means to be an engineer is built solely around equations, design principles and problem-solving frameworks. That can make it easy to view engineering primarily through a narrow technical lens, but many life lessons and perspectives take stronger shape outside of the classroom.
Understanding engineering often requires engaging with communities, unfamiliar environments, challenges that reveal the human side of problem-solving. Sometimes, that means traveling somewhere entirely new and seeing firsthand how culture, social conditions, sustainability and daily life shape the way people approach complex issues.
The Costa Rica Global Intensive Experience is the first study abroad program in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering designed specifically for first-year engineering students to explore what engineering looks like beyond the U.S., understand how solutions are defined by technologies and sociocultural environments, and get a broader view of what it means to be an engineer.
With its inaugural launch during spring break of 2026, students enjoyed visits to sustainability-focused organizations, immersive cultural experiences and hands-on learning opportunities. The program is embedded within a foundational course connected to ASU’s global engineering certificate and is designed to help students think beyond technical problem-solving early in their academic careers.
Haolin Zhu, a teaching professor in the Fulton Schools and the faculty program lead, says that shaping perspectives is especially impactful early in students’ engineering journeys and will define how they view engineering and how they apply interdisciplinary perspectives to problem-solving, design and innovation.
“The real purpose of engineering is to make this world better,” Zhu says. “Once students gain technical skills, they can use them to benefit communities and society. I hope this experience helps them remember why they’re doing engineering in the first place.”
New experiences for new engineers
Costa Rica was intentionally chosen for this kind of revelatory experience because of its strong sustainability initiatives, community-centered culture and accessibility for students who may have never traveled internationally.
“Now they realize it’s not necessarily the best technical solution that will be the most effective one,” Zhu says. “It has to work for the communities it serves and within social, cultural, economic, environmental and political conditions.”
One of the most impactful experiences for students was visiting a carbon-neutral farm in Monteverde, where they learned how sustainability solutions must adapt to the realities of specific communities and environments. The farm owner shared the challenges of making her operation carbon neutral and explained that strategies successful in one setting may not work somewhere else.
The visit resonated deeply with students. Zhu says nearly every participant referenced the farm in their reflections after returning home. Matteo Trifunovic, a first-year aerospace engineering student, says attending the carbon-negative farm inspired solidarity and resilience.
“Learning about Costa Rica’s ability to innovate in reducing carbon emissions stood out to me,” Trifunovic says. “Seeing how a country can successfully implement sustainable practices made me think about how similar strategies could be applied to the aviation industry, which connects directly to my interest in aerospace engineering.”
Inspired by the farm owner’s commitment to regenerative farming and her innovative and locally rooted approaches to combat climate change, Trifunovic hopes to return to the farm for an internship next summer.
Community of care
Students also visited Universidad Latina in San José, where they heard from the president of the Costa Rican Red Cross about emergency response and community care systems in the country. Unlike in the United States, Costa Rica’s Red Cross plays a major role in emergency response efforts, relying heavily on volunteers who travel long distances to help people in need.
“That kind of commitment was very inspirational,” Zhu says. “Students could see how different systems and values shape how communities approach health care, safety and service.”
Ameera Singh, a first-year aerospace engineering student, says the experience of seeing a country generate nearly all its electricity from renewable sources helped her understand that global progress in sustainability is as much a social and political commitment as it is a technical one.
“It was eye-opening to see how a country can align its infrastructure so closely with its national values,” Singh says. “I now see the field as an integrated discipline where policy, ethics and environmental responsibility are just as critical as the technical designs themselves.
The program also emphasized personal growth beyond engineering concepts. For some students, the trip marked their first time leaving the country, or traveling outside their home state.
Zhu says students learned practical life skills through the process of preparing for international travel, from obtaining passports to independently navigating unfamiliar environments.
“Students realized the world is much more accessible than they may have thought,” Zhu says. “Meeting people, trying new food and seeing how lifestyles are different. All of that is beneficial and eye-opening.”
While the program centered on engineering and sustainability, students also built lasting friendships through shared experiences. They explored rainforests, visited waterfalls, rode horses through the mountains and even went ziplining above the forest canopy.
On the Monteverde campus where they stayed, students interacted with study abroad participants from around the world, further broadening their perspectives and encouraging them to imagine future global experiences.
According to Zhu, that kind of experiential learning cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom.
“You can use Costa Rica as an example and share all about it in a classroom, but seeing things firsthand is completely different,” Zhu says. “In today’s interconnected world, global competency is critical.”
Growing greater perspectives
Zhu says that the program also reflects a broader effort across the Fulton Schools to prepare students not only through technical rigor, but also with the mindset and perspective needed to create meaningful, human-centered solutions.
Zhu hopes students carry those lessons with them throughout their engineering education and into their careers.
Singh says that studying abroad encouraged her to develop a global mindset, approach problems with adaptable creativity, and set a foundation for her career as a modern engineer.
“I learned to look for site-specific, sustainable solutions rather than relying on traditional, one-size-fits-all models,” Singh says.
“Whether I’m working on complex mechanical systems or innovative technology in the future, I feel better prepared to consider the broader impact of my work on global frameworks,” she says. “It reminded me how exciting it is to be part of a field that can solve multifaceted problems while improving the joy of living for people worldwide.”
