


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…

Knowledge Exchange to Transform Rural Realities
The CoopeCuna Cooperative, born as an agrotourism project, has evolved over time. Through innovation and strategic alliances, they have found a way to strengthen essential oil production and diversify product offerings. Their most recent project, carried out in collaboration with EARTH’s Community Development Program (CDP), EARTH students, and EARTH Futures’ Developing Solutions team, marks an important step toward accessing international markets and generating added value from medicinal plants cultivated for local consumption…

Tariq S. Kelly: Leading the Way in Technical Innovation in the Agricultural Sector
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…

From the Land to the Law: Lucina’s Work for Indigenous Justice
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.