“From the Andes to the Amazon in Ecuador,” one of the many Education Abroad programs offered at Missouri State University, successfully completed its third run June 24-July 16, 2026.

This year, six students joined Jason Shepard, senior instructor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology. They were Kenyon Broten, Amanda Gott, Ryan Johnston, DeMarcus Powell-Long, Myles Ramey and Autumn Seely.

This is the third time Shepard has led the Ecuador program. Additionally, this was the second time Gott, Johnston and Broten traveled to Ecuador as part of the Education Abroad experience. They used the opportunity to expand their research, which they plan to present at the Society for Applied Anthropology conference in March 2027.

Beyond a “travel course”

When Shepard began the Ecuador program in 2023, he envisioned it as more than just a “travel course.”

“[It] was designed from the beginning as an anthropology field school,” he explained. “I think students are attracted to the program because they get to do anthropology rather than only study it in a classroom.”

Cultivating the field school approach

Shepard evaluates the program annually to see what is working and what isn’t. He doesn’t, however, change the program simply to offer students something different. Instead, he believes returning to the same communities and working with the same people gives the field school approach “considerable value.”

“Short-term education abroad can make sustained relationships difficult,” Shepard said. In contrast, repeated visits allow students to develop strong connections with the communities they are studying.

“After three years, these are no longer simply places on an itinerary,” he said. “I have relationships with families, educators, activists, community leaders, farmers, guides and others who help make the field school possible.”

Experience offers educational variety

This year’s program featured visits to several cultural and ecological regions of Ecuador. These included the nation’s capital, Quito, the Amazonian region near Coca and Yasuní National Park, Otavalo and Cotacachi in the northern Andes, and Manduriacu and Mashpi in the Andean cloud forest. The group also visited museums and a community ecolodge, observed local agriculture and conservation projects and stayed in the homes of host families.

“There is so much cool stuff you get to do, outside of any classroom setting,” said Gott, a senior double major in anthropology and modern language. “Incredible hikes, adventures through the city, trips through the mountain range down to the Amazon rainforest. I mean sure, you learn a lot, but you have so much fun while doing it.”

Learning the Kichwa language

In addition to learning about Indigenous community government and local sustainability initiatives, the students took Kichwa language classes from a bilingual educator and language activist. The experience gave students an opportunity to examine larger questions surrounding language preservation and Indigenous identity, Shepard said.

“Our teacher was an amazing woman,” said Johnston, a fifth year triple major studying anthropology, sociology and psychology. “She truly showed the fight that it takes to bring a language back from the brink of death.”

Gott said it was fun to “stumble through some conversations with my Kichwa friends. It always puts a smile on their face. As someone who has always been interested in language, this was one of the most fascinating aspects of the trip to me.”

“Feet on the ground” learning

During the three years Shepard has conducted the Ecuador program, he has watched his students grow as confident researchers because of the field school approach.

Johnston cited his ability to conduct an interview to illustrate that success. “I knew how to conduct an interview, but I didn’t fully get a grasp on the flow of one until I went to Ecuador and began conducting them myself,” he explained. “That’s just one of many skills I have built because of my experience abroad.”

“I learn best with my feet on the ground,” Johnston continued. “I can learn and understand a topic that has been introduced in the classroom. But I can only really say I ‘know’ something once I get hands-on experience.”

“With being hands on and talking to people locally, in context and in depth, you learn a lot more than you could just in class,” Gott agreed. “This entire program is centered around hands-on experiences.”

Finding their paths

Johnston recommends Missouri State students consider Education Abroad in general and Ecuador in particular.

“It will expose you to new experiences you just wouldn’t get in America,” he said. “It can be hard. I have a fair share of funny stories that weren’t funny in the moment. But pain is an important part of growing.”

Gott said the Ecuador Education Abroad program changed her life.

“It really helped me find my path, what kind of research I’m interested in, what I want to do,” she said. “It helped me see that I am capable and on the right track.”

These observations are music to Shepard’s ears. “That’s what keeps me interested in doing [the program],” he said. “The program is never really finished when we fly home.”

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