“The Saint Lucia program challenges students to create real-world applications of so much of what they have learned in CDAE, and it asks them to integrate their years of coursework into a single project,” says Kevin Stapleton, one of the two professors in the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics who, each year, lead this unique service learning course to Saint Lucia. 

The course explores overarching themes in economics, entrepreneurship, international development, and communications, and since 2004 it has provided up to 18 students per year with a transformational, impactful community-building opportunity. 

Through CDAE 3860 and 3870, a two-part class consisting of a fall prep course and a spring travel course (a ten-day trip in January), students have the opportunity to both learn about and apply skills in community and economic development within a small island developing state. 

“Special attention is paid to the small, island state of Saint Lucia, and its place in the Caribbean Single Market and the world economy,” explains Senior Lecturer Thomas DeSisto. 

Community Centered Design student, Alyana Hunt, says that the experience allowed her to get involved with the CDAE community in a way she hadn’t previously. As a senior, she explains that she wanted to study abroad, which inspired her to seek out this opportunity. 

One of her key takeaways was how the experience bridges the themes she studies in other courses at UVM. Specifically, she saw a connection between Saint Lucia’s tourist-driven system and Vermont’s similarly tourist-fueled economy. She learned the most from local perspectives and during conversations with everyone she met in St. Lucia, from small business owners to taxi drivers. 

Hunt’s advice to those considering the course: “Keep an open mind—you get to go to a really cool place and do some really meaningful work, and I think that’s really powerful in itself.”

The class structure involves small-group work with long-standing community and government partners who identify focal points of community needs. According to senior public communications student Chloe Ruggio, each group took a different approach to its project, enriching their nightly debriefs at group dinners. With her group, Ruggio explains that they “got real with the people there,” and learned from local stakeholders’ perspectives on the needs within the Saint Lucian community. Ruggio also stresses that the preparatory work equips students very well for the time spent in Saint Lucia. “It was the perfect amount of work and pre-travel (preparations),” she says. Adding that everyone on the trip became like family. 

Similar to Hunt, Ruggio says, “I had always been interested in studying abroad, but the time commitment of a four-month program and being away from home didn’t feel right.” 

From her perspective, this was the perfect opportunity to study abroad in a meaningful way but for a shorter duration. 

Ruggio reflects on the time spent in Saint Lucia and states, “all you’re thinking about is how you’re in the moment,” and that “encapsulates the entire vibe of the trip.”

The program has been running for twenty years, and faculty member Stapleton reflects on the long-term impact of the program: 

“Thanks to our dedicated project partners, we’re able to offer meaningful projects that benefit the people of Saint Lucia while providing an exceptional learning opportunity for our students.” 

Prerequisites for registration for CDAE 3860 SL: Community Development: St Lucia I include the completion of CDAE 1020 or 1610 (or instructor permission) and previous coursework in economics (ECON 1400, ECON 1450, CDAE 1601, or similar).