Kathryn Neville, Karlene Cudak, Bridget McFadden, Sara Murphy (pictured left to right)
We are four Providence College students from diverse academic backgrounds who were united together by a single course. As members of this year's Global Service Learning Coffee Culture class we learned about the various stakeholders involved in international coffee trade and the several processes it takes to get from coffee bean to coffee cup. Our involvement in this course provided us with the amazing opportunity to spend our 2017 spring break in Guatemala. This inspirational and motivational trip humanized our perspectives on issues related to international trade, economic inequality, environmental and labor rights, and so much more. During our time in Guatemala, we met with coffee farmers, plantation owners, members of Coffee Co-ops, and lived in home-stays in one community for two nights. These interactions inspired us to become more informed consumers and gain a deeper appreciation for what goes into our cups of coffee. Our experiential and academic learning in the classroom, in Guatemala, and in Rhode Island motivated our final project. We decided to use storytelling as a way to promote Guatemalan businesses both locally and globally. This ultimately lead us to interview individuals, who immigrated from Guatemala and own businesses in Rhode Island, to learn about their stories and further publicize their businesses. We were also inspired by a community in Guatemala who began a business that caters to US consumers in order to support their local families. We hope you enjoy the stories of these remarkable people as we work to stimulate their businesses through our digital marketing and storytelling website!
Photos done by Kristhian for our final class presentation day:
If there is anything you would like to see on our website or you would like to add some information about your business to it, please feel free to email us at: [email protected]! We will be checking submissions monthly, then contacting you about the possible addition, and will hopefully be able to keep growing our website!