From Scotland, Karina Garcés-Mirza (Class of 2002, Ecuador) is leading green infrastructure projects that aim to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time: climate change. Her background in sustainable development and rural communities now translates into an urban vision committed to building more resilient and sustainable cities…
Abigael Simaloi Pertet (Class of 2016, Kenya), a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni, first learned about EARTH University through the Maasai Girls Education Fund, an organization whose mission is to support girls’ education and empowerment and who had sponsored her schooling. In 2012, an EARTH graduate gave a presentation about EARTH, and in that moment Abigael fell in love with the idea of what the institution represented…
Yngrid Espinoza Villaruel (Class of 2011, Peru) was the first recipient of a scholarship funded by EARTH alumni. What began as a unique opportunity became a path marked by effort, innovation, social and environmental impact, and an unwavering commitment to giving back to the world…
David Steiger has long been committed to making his community, and the world, a more equitable place. The 2011 graduate, from Switzerland, was one of the first students from the European continent to attend EARTH University. David is currently working for Robi, an NGO that provides services for vulnerable children in his small yet diverse hometown of Olten, Switzerland…
For the past seven years, EARTH graduate and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni, Tariq S. Kelly (Class of 2017, Jamaica) has served as Pineapple and Coconut Crop Manager at JP Tropical Foods, a 190-hectare farm in Jamaica. The company is a leading producer of bananas, pineapples, plantains, and coconuts…
Since childhood, Lucina Martínez Régules (Class of 2004, Mexico) understood that community is not just a place—it’s a way of being in the world. More than two decades after graduating from EARTH, her work continues to advance the autonomy of Indigenous peoples, defend the textile heritage of Chinanteco women, and seek justice within a system that does not treat everyone equally.
From EARTH’s classrooms to the greenhouses of one of the largest horticultural companies in the world, Francis Hernández Montás (Class of 2019, Dominican Republic) has cultivated a journey filled with purpose, learning, and transformation…
Graduate Charbel Assemaani (Class of 2015, Lebanon) loved his EARTH class on Food Processing. Today he is co-founder of Semani Yogurt, a company making high-quality, small batch yogurt on the island of Antigua. Learn about the ways Semani has made a splash in a competitive market and how they plan to continue growing…
When Nokubonga Cherryl Ndima (Class of 2012) was growing up in Durban, South Africa, she dreamed of being a surgeon. But while working with her family in their vegetable garden of carrots, cabbages, and spinach, she began to make a connection: she saw how people often went to the doctor and had health problems because they did not live healthy lifestyles or have access to nutritious food…
From drying fruits and vegetables with local women farmers to advising on rural connectivity and sustainability projects, the story of Forget Shareka (Class of 2019, Zimbabwe) shows that climate action begins by listening to communities’ voices and needs…
Graduate Carlton Tylor II (Class of 2023) understands the environmental and food security challenges faced by his community, and he is beginning to address them. Through a new egg production business on his home island of the Bahamas, he is beginning to do his part to help restore the coastline and provide locally produced food. His goal, in five years, is to have a fully operating business that is not dependent on resources coming from outside the island…
Riley Thomson (Class of 2009) was born in Canada, but it was growing up and studying in the tropics of Costa Rica where he discovered his calling: to protect nature through agriculture. Today, he leads a global coffee sustainability initiative and works to bridge the needs of the North with the potential of Central America. His story shows why studying in the tropics can forever transform you…
Armand Yambisa dreamed of returning to his country to transform life in rural areas. And he’s making it happen. He leads a research team from Zambia developing real solutions for small-scale farmers, combining agricultural innovation, scientific research, and a deep commitment to his community. His story shows how research can sow hope where it’s needed most…
Since graduating from EARTH, Fazeena Persaud (Class of 2023) has been focusing her efforts on improving conditions for livestock farmers in her home country of Saint Kitts & Nevis. Her interest in the field was solidified during her third-year professional Internship, when she served with the government’s livestock division…
Luis Eduardo Girón (Class of 2005, Guatemala) grew up watching his grandfather and father work with bees, and years later, he transformed that legacy into a project that protects biodiversity, produces unique honeys, and offers immersive tourism experiences. Discover the story behind Colmena Don Antonio and how beekeeping can also be a transformative experience…
Shamir Carrillo (Class of 2015, Belize) has worked in many sectors and industries in his country, demonstrating EARTH graduates’ adaptability and the University’s focus on learning-by-doing across various fields. Nowadays, he’s working on topics fundamental to the future of food security.
As a motivated professional committed to bettering her community and the world, Leonor Fall (Class of 2016, Senegal) has led a career path that has taken her from organizing high-level meetings at the African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security to working with livestock keepers in her home country of Senegal…
From piloting a drone for the first time at EARTH to transforming agriculture in El Salvador and Honduras, Orlando Solís (Class of 2018, El Salvador) is leading agricultural modernization with drones, optimizing crops, and reducing costs…
Manuel (Class of 2018), Antonio (Class of 2022), and Marcelina Gómez (Class of 2027) are three Indigenous siblings who broke barriers and changed their destinies through education. A coffee brand, a new language, and a dream that once seemed unreachable…
Bianca Dager (Class of 2003, Ecuador) has done it all. She served as Ecuador’s Vice Minister of Environment, co-founded the platform Premios Verdes, launched an environmental consultancy, and created a project that is connecting nature with various sectors, from conservation to private industry and production. Her calling took her by surprise, leading her to believe in the power of agriculture and conservation to transform production systems.
Juana Nohelia Bonilla (Class of 2004, Honduras) has dedicated her life to strengthening rural communities through local knowledge and sustainability. Her return to Costa Rica, after two decades of impact in the agricultural sector, reaffirms her commitment to inclusive development…
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