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K-State Today

February 9, 2015

A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications students visit Costa Rica in joint tourism class in January

Submitted by Katie Good

University of Costa Rica and K-State students and faculty on the University of Costa Rica campus

Ten students from Kansas State University joined seven students from the University of Costa Rica in San José from Jan. 1-17. K-State Professor Barb DeSanto and her husband John DeSanto also accompanied the students to San José where they were joined University of Costa Rica professors Harold Hütt Herrera and Mariela Barquero Jenkins.

Mass Communications 589, is a travel and tourism public relations class that occurs abroad in conjunction with students and professors from the University of Costa Rica. The course focus is on Costa Rica's governmental and private partnership in sustainable tourism and the resulting public relations and advertising strategies that the different tourism segments create and use to promote the country as an international destination. Students learned about public relations through class visits and discussions to various tourism destinations in Costa Rica.

The Costa Rica tourism board provided students with four clients from the Orosi Valley in the Cartago province. Clients included Rinconcito Verde, a bed a breakfast; the Finca Agropecuaria Queveri farm; el Museo Leone de Ujarrás colonial museum; and Chucaras Hot Springs. Students visited their clients throughout their coursework and created communications plans tailored to their clients.

Students that studied abroad and completed the class were juniors Le'andre Carthen, McKenzie Cordell, Kylie Fairman, Maria Penrod, Maya Tilmon and seniors Karina Fiegelist, Katie Good, Leah Hill, Hannah Kleopfer, Alex Roberts and John Seitz.

The students will give a presentation about their study abroad experience to the Office of International Programming and the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications faculty Friday, Feb. 13, as a part of the class.

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