Reflections on Professional Journeys After a Peruvian Amazon Experience

In 2023, a group of UT Austin undergraduates from across 10 academic disciplines took part in a year-long, interdisciplinary program focused on literacy development and cultural collaboration in the Peruvian Amazon. The experience began with a spring semester course, Literacy Development in South America: Critical Perspectives, followed by two weeks of immersive fieldwork in Ucayali in partnership with Universidad Cayetano Heredia and local leaders. In the fall, students reconvened in a reflection and synthesis course, integrating their academic learning and field data into collaborative proposals, case studies, and public presentations.

Two years later, these alumni—from fields as varied as education, psychology, marketing, linguistics, nutrition, history, religious studies, and international relations—return to share how this sustained academic and field experience influenced their career paths, graduate studies, and global outlook. This panel offers personal reflections, lessons learned, and insights into the lasting value of immersive, context-driven international education.