What do students say about CELL programs?

Below are comments from students who have participated in CELL’s Iceland and Central America programs.

Iceland Program Quotes

“I didn’t really expect to feel the power of sustainability through community as intensely and deeply as we all have. My understanding of this concept has broadened and turned concrete. I also have been given empowerment.  My fellow CELLers have shown me that anything is possible, and I can make things happen. This experience has changed my life in the best possible way and I know I will carry it with me everywhere I go.”  Allison, Ithaca College

“Participating in CELL not only nurtured the spirit of inquiry and love for learning, but did so much more.  This experience brought me to the

Iceland Glacier

 awareness that our lives do not need to be altered or changed, but just fed with the same compassion that is abundant in Solheimar (the eco-village where we lived).  Sustainability through community taught me that as you follow what sustains you, you can make a mark on the world because you are seeing it with new eyes. This CELL experience awakened in me something that has always been there: freedom!  The freedom to dream, question, embrace the world, love unconditionally, and roll down a snowy mountain.  I am always going to be grateful for CELL as I go on to experience courage, purpose, and love in my life – a way that CELL will never leave me. “ Ana Luizzi, Principia College

 “I have a much broader spectrum of what I feel community can accomplish. This happened by immersing ourselves into a welcoming and dynamic community here in Iceland. More importantly I was guided to look within myself to find where I am and what role I play in community. I know with utmost sincerity that I have the power of good in myself to be part of a sustainable community and a steward of a holistic lifestyle. This experience has changed my life! I have found depths and strengths of myself that I had only seen. I still have much to learn, but now I have a better grasp on the entire view of it. I feel stronger emotionally, wiser intrinsically and more able to embrace. I fight less with life and enjoy the fruits as they are. I dwell on how to change, not correct. I love what CELL has given me, and I hope it continues to do for others what it was able to do for me.”  Chance Perkins, Paul Smiths College

 “This CELL program has shown me that sustainability isn’t just about maintaining

Landmannalaugar - Iceland

the earth.  It’s also about maintaining ourselves by developing a strong community of relationships that provide support when times get rough and so much fun during the good times.  It was very interesting to live in the “eco-village” of Solheimar which has existed since before that term was even used.  Being here, in a place where community has been the main focus of the lifestyle, with ecological concerns coming later, has given me a deeper appreciation that sustainability means helping ourselves by helping one another, human and other species. Being in such a supportive community with a really close-knit group of friends has allowed me to open up more quickly and to a deeper level than has normally happened with others in the past.  I have felt freer to express myself in both verbal and non-verbal art-forms.  It has allowed me to catch my breath from the normal fast pace of daily life and see what I really appreciate doing.” Josh Howard, College of the Atlantic

 “This experience gave me a completely new outlook on sustainability. In fact I came to Iceland ready to learn about new methods of sustainability, (e.g. solar, wind, etc.), but I was astounded to be awakened by the heart of the matter – community. This theme made a tremendous impact on me personally. I could write a novel on the topic and why it changed my thoughts, but the best I can say is thank you. I have taken many environmental classes in the past, read books, but never have I had such an incredibly new outlook on the topic. What this program has given me is something that is hard to describe in words. CELL has taught me aspects of life that textbooks will never capture… I have had a blast getting down to the real questions in life, wrestling with them, and having fun!”  Mason Overstreet, New College at University of Alabama

 “Instead of focusing on the science of global warming, my internal spotlight has shifted. Whether or not the earth is warming, my focus is now on

View from a lava field near Landmannalaugar

proactive solutions to all the environmental problems the earth faces. The most valuable part of this semester has been living with 17 caring individuals whom I’ve grown to love. I couldn’t have had the same experience in a class. It was unique to this program.”Dave Stillson, Unity College

 “Coming to Iceland, meeting all the CELL group members and living all we lived has changed my life. . . I think in positives much more now, I feel I have tools to believe in hope with.”  Gaby Boscio, Northland College

 “Living with each other and within Solheimar helped strengthened many of the ideas we discussed in class by putting them into action. The CELL program living situation also showed me the value of expressing love and support, working together, and doing kind little things for one another.”  Justin Butterworth, College of William and Mary

 “The whole community aspect of sustainability was completely new to me and this program presented in a way that was almost impossible not to understand.  By actually living in a community that practices sustainability methods and reading about sustainability through community the ideas were more certainly reinforced. I am much more open to new ideas and more comfortable sharing my thoughts and feelings.  I have met so many wonderful people, seen so many amazing things and revitalized my spirit.”  Leslie Bienenfeld, University of Georgia

 “The most valuable parts of my CELL experience have been living in Solheimar and being with the incredibly loving people here, gaining a sense of mission and dedication to the sustainability movement from our courses, running by horses and mountains everyday, and reaching outside my comfort level to make connections with my peers and really find out how wonderful people can be.” Nibby Alioto, Principia College

 “The lessons and experiences of this semester are sure to have a lasting impact on

Westman Island - Iceland

my life. I am far more environmentally conscious as a result of this semester and plan to incorporate environmental stewardship into my life.  In the past three months I have had the opportunity for much contemplation on how I want to live my life when I return (home).  The students and people I have met on this trip have all had many different lessons to teach me and inspire me for a rapture of life. The most valuable part of the CELL experience has been moving outside the traditional collegiate educational mold and pushing myself out of my comfort zone to immerse myself in an experiential learning environment.”  Ian Larson, University of Maine at Orono

 “I’ve never felt so encouraged to grow, so free to be myself, so loved or

Sunset at Solheimar

 appreciated for just the way I am.  The people have made this program so much of what it is. I’ve learned how to be a better listener, to be more effective in getting my points across, to look at issues from different views and to ask questions that may not often be considered.  I feel absolutely changed from my time here.  I think being here has opened me up to a new way of living that feels better than anything I’ve ever experienced or seen before.  It has all been a blessing.” Kelly Stewart, Mills College

 “Working within the CELL group while living in the Solheimar community provided me with a foundation-a community to work with, an ideal to strive for (sustainability), and the growth to see these come alive in one another. I realize that I was searching for this foundation…for a grounding in the concept of what “sustainability through community” really meant. I discovered this here, and I am renewed in understanding that it does take community- people’s lives working together, being aware of others- to awaken sustainability and allow it to truly flourish. Sustainability is a growth in changes –these changes taking place on an individual and community scale- and all of these changes integrate with one another to touch the entire world community. The CELL program expanded my understanding and appreciation of sustainability through community because I remembered my connections within this circle of continual growth, truly learning about and living sustainably through community.” Sara Domek, Northland College 

Central America Program Student Quotes

 “I definitely feel this experience has changed the way I see the world. Every time

Service-Learning Project - Honduras

one sees a different culture and learns and lives with people, they take pieces of this new culture with them. I have Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica in me: the stories, the people, the landscapes and so much more. I have learned so much from the people and so much about myself . . . and I have had a flame relit inside me to strive towards a sustainable world.”  Dave Thomas, Northland College

 “Looking back on all I have learned from this experience, I cannot

Gandoca - Costa Rica

imagine not having done this. This has been and will continue to be such an important part of me. I will continue learning from this experience for the rest of my life. I feel like this has given me the power to be a better global citizen, and to make a positive difference in the communities in which I live. The program certainly has expanded my whole view on sustainability, especially the ways in which community plays such an important role. I feel like I have a much better perspective and much more wisdom not just in the area of sustainability, but also in the many issues facing third-world countries and the action being taken.”  Carmen Phillips, College of the Atlantic