CATIE Journeys: Alumni Spotlight Megan Kelly
Megan Kelly, ‘22 reflects on her early career flying for American Airlines and the future she sees for sustainable tourism
“I knew that I wanted to be a part of the change to make travel more sustainable and I knew that I had further my education to do it.”
Written by Katie Modic
Megan Kelly ‘22 is currently a Fulbright researcher in Puerto Williams Chile. Her work helps advance the sustainable tourism industry’s understanding of how to use social media to share stories and build sustainability through para-social relationships and grass-roots marketing. Always drawn to travel, her first career was as a mainline flight attendant with American Airlines. Her work opened doors to both the unyielding beauty of the planet and the challenges, like waste and consumption, that accompany international tourism. In the interview below, Megan dives into her decision to join the joint Masters Program in International Sustainable Tourism offered by University of North Texas and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica.
Why did you decide to study at MIST/CATIE?
After years of flying for a commercial airline as a flight attendant, I had seen some of the most beautiful places in the world. The thing they all have in common was trash. I knew that I wanted to be a part of the change to make travel more sustainable and I knew that I had to further my education to do it. There were only a few programs in the US that offer a masters degree in this line of study and I chose MIST because of it’s dual degree program with CATIE. I knew that I needed real world international experience to balance out the academic side of my studies.
What was your favorite part of studying at CATIE and why?
My favorite part of studying at CATIE was being in an academic setting. Having started my masters degree during COVID, I had missed many parts of being in a academic space due to everything being online. At CATIE, I had the opportunity to meet leaders in their fields, researchers, and students who were participating in global research projects such as coffee and cacao production and how it related to climate change. At CATIE I was naturally exposed to real life academics and projects that impact global decisions.
What doors opened because of time spent at MIST/CATIE?
I had an extremely supportive department at UNT who encouraged us to write papers, submit to conferences, and provided opportunities to work as research assistants. When I mentioned I wanted to apply to Fulbright, they gave their full, and realistic support. Through the program at CATIE, my cohort was able to meet a wide variety of businesses and programs involved in tourism in Costa Rica that have extended opportunities to be involved post-graduation. Also, CATIE was really open and interested in letting me shadow tours and experiences to understand day-to-day operations, issues, and the planning of tourism programs on campus. It’s invaluable to be able to really see operations during your studies to get the full picture.
How does your work today positively influence your community?
My current research looks to change tourist behavior at a destination by understanding how tourists post about and interact with destinations on social media. That data is then used to develop strategies that can be utilized by tour operators, destination managers, or anyone who wants to communicate sustainability via social media.
As a part of my research in Chile, I have developed a series of free workshops for the community on the basics of Google Maps, Meta, and how to take pictures and videos for social media. These topics were chosen by request and what would best support the local businesses in the community.
The goal of my research is develop ‘best practices’ regarding social media strategy and communicating sustainability. It is a free tool that can not only create local change but international change!
What do you hope for future students of the MIST/CATIE program?
My hope for future students of MIST is that they continue to believe in and push forward the development of a more sustainable tourism field whether by continuing to research or working in any part of the field and spreading the message. We are given the tools to understand so many different aspects of sustainability in the field that are so desperately needed in this age of climate change, over consumption, and drive to protect the places precious to us.
Megan visiting organic coffee farms around Turrialba Costa Rica during her studies at CATIE (photo credit: M. Kelly)
ABOVE: Megan Kelly, CATIE-MIST’ 22, giving her first presentation on sustainable tourism at CATIE’s Botanical Garden. RIGHT: M. Kelly capturing sustainable tourism in action in Chile (photo credits: M. Kelly)
Megan and some of her cohort pose after presenting at the first Zero Waste Festival at CATIE (photo credit: M. Kelly)
ABOVE: Megan Kelly presenting on the importance of international education in Santiago, Chile (photo credit: M. Kelly). RIGHT: Cape Horn International Center is Kelly’s host institution during her Fulbright year in Chile (photo credit M. Kelly)
