Beyond Borders' Ghana field school

Interested in seeing the world, while also building career and research skills?

Third-year ERS student Jordan Wilton did just that, spending several months this summer working with fellow students and Ghanaian colleagues. Travelling as part of the Beyond Borders course — an initiative co-led by two partners in Ghana (University of Cape Coast and Asheshi Univerity) and the faculties of Environment and Science, funded by the Queen Elizabeth Scholars program — Jordan had the chance to develop research ideas, collaborate with community partners, and learn from local experts.

Jordan felt that: "One of the most rewarding parts of the experience was working directly with students and community partners in Ghana. It was a unique chance to exchange ideas and learn together. Field experiences like this have supported my degree by showing me what research looks like in practice and developing cross-cultural collaboration skills that I will carry forward."

Check out two of the products that Jordan created during the course.

• A blog post called Waters of Knowing
• A video diary titled Ecologies of Care in which Jordan reflected on experiences during a week when the course explored the intersections of environmental change and human health: from water infrastructure and flooding to bioethics and global health policy 

Find out more about the Beyond Borders Field School from Waterloo International.

Banner photos by Jordan Wilton.