A Spring Break Field Study in Trinidad and Tobago

Having now been offered five times, the trip was originally brainstormed by Professor of Environmental Studies Jonathan Wilson and CPGC International Programs Manager Stephanie Zukerman as a chance to explore the intersection between scientific study and cultural learning. Zukerman has deep ties to Trinidad and Tobago, with her father having represented the dual-island nation as a member of their track team in three different Olympic Games and with close family friends still living there today. As a longtime advocate of international study, she collaborates with Wilson to offer the students an experience to ground their academic inquiry in real-world contexts and applications.

With an expansive itinerary allowing for varied exploration each day, Wilson recounted some of their main destinations to be “in the tropical rainforest, out in the swamps, in rural areas, and Port of Spain, the capital city.” This means that students were exposed to widely different environments and educational opportunities, from exploring the rainforest community of Brasso Seco and snorkeling amid coral reefs, to visiting Hindu Temples and touring Trinidad’s International Cocoa Genebank. A day remembered as a highlight for several students was their first full day in Tobago, which began with a hike through a primary rainforest, followed by an afternoon trip to Little Tobago, also known as Bird of Paradise Island. As they identified flora and fauna, student Max Wylie described eventually arriving at “a lookout point where we could see hundreds of red billed tropicbirds landing to nest.”

This sort of unusual birding experience would become a staple of the trip. Students later spent an evening exploring night birding and botany in Trinidad’s Caroni Swamp, a place known for its scarlet ibis and wetland ecology. And during a visit to Yerettê: Home of the Hummingbird, they had the chance to learn about the biology of hummingbirds and their ecological importance, excitedly getting to observe dozens of the birds interacting with their environment. One day, student Seamus Fraser even snapped a picture of a Rufous-shafted Woodstar, capturing what may be only the third recorded shot of one. 

“One of the most impactful experiences on the trip was probably our visit to WHYFarm,” shared Wylie, explaining it as “a nonprofit in southern Trinidad that educates youth about sustainable agriculture.” While WHYFarm is now a steadfast partner of the CPGC, the connection between the two organizations actually blossomed during a previous trip, when Zukerman met WHYFarm’s leader for the first time. The CPGC has since funded Fellows to intern there over the summer—including one, Rebecca Hametz-Berner, who was part of this year’s trip and got to share her experience as the class spent an afternoon exploring the farm.

This sort of personal connection is one of the reasons why the trip as a whole proved so special for its participants. Zukerman was responsible for much of this; one night, the students even got to have dinner with some of her family members, breaking bread together and then watching an acting troupe stage some traditional Trinidad and Tobago folk tales. Mariel Haberle went on to recount another moment of poignant community for the group: an evening spent listening to Siparia Deltones, a steel pan orchestra that performed for the students after serving pizza made from homegrown ingredients. “It was such a beautiful community space,” she recalled.

On the final full day of the trip, the group explored Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago. There, they saw where the Emancipation Proclamation was first read in 1834, returning freedom to thousands of enslaved people, and then toured a community once called Freetown in honor of the countless Africans who rebuilt their lives there at the end of enslavement. An intense experience, this visit grounded their learnings in the culture of a country with a deep social and political history, driving home the necessity of connecting ecological studies with the economic and cultural realities of a land.

“By the time I got back to Haverford,” Fraser reflected, “I had learned enough to have intelligent discussions of the economic trajectory of T&T, or the history of cocoa production, or the incredible bird diversity of the islands.” Other students agreed about the educational value of the trip, highlighting the importance of bringing typically academic studies beyond the classroom and into an immersive environment of tropical agriculture and culture. About to graduate, student Anjali Mitra shared that her experience in Trinidad & Tobago reignited her love of learning from the natural world and inspired her to consider careers born out of curiosity rather than prescription. “I think I learned more on this trip than I would in a semester-long class!” she said.

From birding to botany, steel drums to home-cooked meals, the students’ time in Trinidad and Tobago is a testament to the vision of Zukerman and Wilson, each of whom is determined to foster exploration, understanding, and passion in their respective fields. And while this year’s trip has ended, its impact will spread far past the 10 days the students spent in the dual-island nation, as the knowledge they gleaned and experiences they gained continue to shape their blooming interests in botany and beyond. The trip, explained Haberle, “was truly life changing!”