When biology major Blythe Philips spent a semester in Costa Rica, she investigated everything from beans and rice for breakfast to the effects of farming on biodiversity. Not exactly the typical undergraduate study-abroad experience.

"As someone who had never left the United States before," says Philips, "I found that the most valuable thing I encountered in Costa Rica was just the opportunity to interact with people from a different culture." The 21-year-old junior from Barrington, Rhode Island, adds: "Being abroad really has changed the way I look at where I come from and the opportunities that I have had."

Philips spent the first part of the semester staying with families outside San Jos é before traveling to various biological field stations throughout the country. One project took her to the Palo Verde national park to study the impact of agricultural runoff from rice paddies on aquatic insects and their larvae in local marshes.

"I work in an environmental toxicology lab at Kenyon, and I liked the prospect of combining my past experience with the tropical ecology and field techniques I was starting to learn in Costa Rica," she says. Philips quickly discovered that Kenyon's hands-on, research-oriented biology program gave her an advantage in the field. "At Kenyon, professors really encourage students to pursue their curiosity and give research a shot," she says. "Getting into a lab, making mistakes, and mucking your way through problems is the best way to learn."

As a member of Kenyon's equestrian team, Philips is used to throwing herself into projects (and mucking through problems). "We have a little barn about a mile and a half from campus, and we are responsible for turning out, feeding, exercising, and generally taking care of our team horses," Philips says. "It's a big responsibility, but it's worth it to be able to look at our happy, healthy horses and know that each member of the team is responsible."