Espinoza was an active Girl Scout member from kindergarten to her junior year of high school until COVID-19 caused a global shutdown for most in-person organizations. While the trip was initially planned to take place during her senior year, Espinoza became a lifetime Girl Scout member and finally got to take the long-awaited journey as she is now 18 years old and entering her second year at UNI.

The Sea Turtle, Service and Scuba Adventure course involved traveling to the famous Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama, where she earned her PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Scuba Diver certification. Using her newly acquired skills, she was able to partake in colorful coral reef dives, shipwreck dives and a breath-taking bioluminescent night dive.

Espinoza also gained hands-on experience in helping to release newly hatched sea turtles into the Caribbean Sea, cleaning up the nesting beach and completing a night patrol to monitor sea turtles laying their eggs in the sand.

“I’d say my favorite part was probably being able to release a baby sea turtle. That was a lot of fun,” she said.

Participants in the Outward Bound Costa Rica ventures gained unique experiences in Panama and Costa Rica.

While zip-lining was squeezed into her itinerary as well, the course was not solely for vacation purposes. Espinoza gave back to development projects based on the current needs of the local community including a trash pick-up at the beach community in Solarte, where she was staying, and reforestation projects planting trees. Through her philanthropic nature, Espinoza dedicated 15 total service hours to benefit Panama’s local communities and environment.

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Contact Andrew Ubbenat 641-753-6611 or

aubben@timesrepublican.com.