In 2012, The Show Me Costa Rica Project (SMCRP) was founded at Vashon High School in the heart of north St. Louis, Missouri after a school swap with a nearby suburban school highlighted the inequity in educational opportunities. This left the students at Vashon wanting equal access to international learning experiences. These students went on to name the first chapter “The Show Me Costa Rica Project”, because it started in Missouri, The Show Me State, and the biological wonders of Costa Rica allowed for the alignment of the biology state standards with an experiential learning trip.
Through the joint fundraising efforts of the students, community, high school, parents and other family members, Vashon High School was able to take their first ever student group on an international trip. However, this is more than an international trip. We have seen tremendous improvement with Biology State Exams and Grade Point Averages. Within the first two years of the program, students increased their GPA by 50% and while only 7% of the total school population scored proficient on the Biology State Exam, 90% of Show Me the World students went on to score proficient or advanced. To further our STEM enrichment programming, The Show Me Costa Rica Project partnered with the Washington University Young Scientist Program in 2014. In this ongoing partnership, PhD graduate students from Wash U facilitate in person and virtual science experiences and lessons aligned with national biology standards.
After seeing the success of the first two groups of international travellers, we realized how beneficial experiential learning is to the development of students’ 21st century skills.
Fast forward to 2016, we expanded further by creating an entrepreneurial arm to help raise the funds for future student participation. With a focus on the Pura Vida mantra that represents gratitude and happiness, SMCRP created branded Pura Vida merchandise. The Pura Vida branded merchandise sold out instantly and has been a continued success with every new collection. With one entrepreneurial win under our belt, our leadership team and students looked for other targeted fundraising opportunities. After learning some of the best coffee in the world is grown on farms near volcanoes in Costa Rica, we landed on Costa Rican coffee, which you can purchase at our online store. The coffee venture serves as both an experiential opportunity for the students to learn about maintaining a business, and a way to help sustain the organization for future student participation.
Since 2012, a diverse group of educators and community members have collaborated to grow and develop the structure and philosophy of our program. Because of their innovative thinking and advocacy, over 100 students across five schools in St. Louis and Ferguson gained access to their first international transformational educational experience.
Due to the success and increased demand from schools to incorporate our program, it became necessary to form a 501c3 non-profit organization. In May 2019, Samantha Lurie, Sylvester Chisom and Boahemaa Adu-Oppong co-founded The Show Me the World Project.
The Show Me the World Project will empower even more young people by expanding their worldview and unlocking their ultimate potential.
