Galapagos Islands Summer Trip

This past summer students traveled to Ecuador to learn and study the ecology, history, and culture of the Galapagos Islands. 

Dr. Michael Freake, professor of biology and natural sciences, led the two-week trip.

“We went to San Cristobal and stayed at the Church Of God of Galapagos, which is based there with pastor Wilson Castillo. 
They take care of us and provide accommodation and meals and all the rest. It's a really great opportunity to hang out with Ecuadorian locals,” Freake said.

Castillo provided resources for the students. 

 “
He’s really helpful in helping us set up trips out to Galapagos wildlife and helped us learn a lot about ecology, the geology, history and conservation issues on the island,” Freake explained. 

All students are welcome to participate in the Galapagos trip. Those who are not science majors can earn four hours worth of science credit and biology majors can earn a four-hour elective. 

Freake hopes students gain a different perspective by visiting the islands. 

“I wanted students to see this really important historic location … You get to see species that don't exist anywhere else. 
You go from one island to another and it's a whole different species again,” Freake said.

The atmosphere in Galapagos is one of a kind. 

“I think everybody just felt like it was a lovely place to visit. 
It was a very calm, peaceful kind of place. It just helped you rest and learn. I think folks will find it refreshing to go there,” Freake said. 

Nick Fuller, a senior ecology major, says that the trip was impactful for him.

“This was my first time going overseas, and so already it made a big impact there. But, I think the nature of it all, especially all the wildlife and how locals interacted with the wildlife was very inspiring. Being an ecology major, I wanted to make sure that I was super passionate about it. After doing that trip, it kind of made me feel like I was right where I needed to be,” Fuller explained.

The islands and marine life resonated with Fuller. 


”Getting to interact with all the marine life, going snorkeling and everything, was beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. It really reaffirmed that desire to be there, and that passion to be in the major,” Fuller said.

Maya Burley, a junior business management major, was apprehensive at first. She ended up enjoying the trip. 

“I was pretty nervous going into the [trip] meeting … [there were] a good number of science majors, and I am not a science major, so that was definitely challenging a little bit. But, I was really excited to get to go to this crazy cool place and be out in nature,” Burley said.  

Burley grew closer with peers on the trip in Ecuador.  

“It was really wonderful to get to know everybody, having the shared experiences and spending so much time together. I feel like I made some great friends,” Burley said.

Burley appreciates the family environment the people steward on the island.

“What really impacted me the most was just how closely knit the community was there. It's a really small place, but everybody knew so many people and they were always having gatherings,” Burley explained. 

Burley gained insight from the ecology students. 

“One lesson learned is to keep looking at other people's perspectives and taking things in from their perspective. I enjoyed being on the trip with the ecology majors, they saw things differently than I did and were able to observe patterns that I couldn't see. To just listen to them and take that in - I learned so much,” Burley said. 

Students this past summer in Ecuador observed the beauty and culture of the Galapagos Islands, inspiring, transforming and changing their lives forever. 

Photos Courtesy of Colin Henry.