Mandy Stewart, PhD, makes a habit of helping wherever she can, even in far-flung places such as Ukraine. Stewart, a professor in the School of Education, was up to it again last summer in Costa Rica as a Fulbright Specialist.

Stewart, who specializes in literacy and language, was specifically selected by Asociación CREAR, a non-profit that provides after-school enrichment opportunities for rural children and adolescents centered on creativity, art and social responsibility in Guanacaste, a province in northwestern Costa Rica.

She developed a sustainable 48-week English curriculum based on the children’s interests for the two small communities she focused on – Sámara and El Torito.