Examining Health in the Yucatán: Ursinus Students Embark on First Study Abroad Trip to Mexico

Over the winter break, Ursinus students embarked on a trip to Mérida, Mexico, the college’s first study abroad trip to Mexico, to learn about health on a global scale.

The course, “Contemporary Issues in Public Health in the Yucatán,” was led by Associate Professor of Anthropology Lauren Wynne, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Sociology Catherine van de Ruit, Ph.D. The trip was a part of a grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program, which was awarded to Ursinus in June 2023.

“The trip was an exciting new opportunity for Ursinus students interested in global health, disease prevention, and public health interventions,” said Johannes Karreth, assistant dean of the college. “It builds on our strengths in this area, such as programs in the Center for Science and the Common Good and the Melrose Fellows program.”

The two-week trip to the area known for its rich Maya and colonial heritage consisted of both classroom learning and discussions, along with excursions to points of interest. The Yucatán is home to a large indigenous population, leading to large and visible health disparities in the region.

“It provided students with a space to observe a different ethnic and racial hierarchy than what they encounter in the U.S., and to examine health disparities, along with a variety of health practices and healing methods that were new to them,” said Wynne.

For Kendra Melniczek ’25, who plans to go into a biomedical field, the trip’s focus on public health appealed to her, as did the opportunity to brush up on her Spanish. “I’m also a Spanish major so it was a great opportunity to practice and get a more first-person perspective of what we learn in class,” Melniczek said.

The excursions were focused on health in a broad context. Students visited a garden that featured plant-based medicines for traditional healing and helped create a cream for joint pain using plants. They also visited an agro-ecological farm established at a local couple’s home, as well as more “touristy” sites, which provided valuable context for the lessons Wynne and van de Ruit were teaching.

“We connected what we were seeing to health, while also considering Mayan culture and civilizations as distinct, ancient, and highly developed,” van de Ruit said. “We also explored how Mexico is viewed in relation to its long historical heritage.”

For the students, the most unique aspect of the trip was staying with host families during their time in Mérida. “I think the opportunity to stay with families was something students were nervous about at first, but they really valued that experience in the end,” Wynne said. “A number of them have said they want to go back and visit those families again.”

Outside of the classroom and scheduled excursions, students were free to explore the city of Mérida and take in the food, culture, and arts.

“My friends and I decided to explore parts of the city that weren’t necessarily tourist areas, which demonstrated to us the true authenticity of a modern city like Mérida,” Melniczek said. She added that the opportunity to test what she has been learning in the classroom at Ursinus in Mexico is an experience she’ll never forget.

“You’re not going to be able to fully understand another community or population’s struggles until you’re actually there,” Melniczek said. “Yes, there are some struggles, especially when it comes to accessing resources that we have, but that community has optimized what they have to live very happy and prosperous lives.”