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Kayla Ho
Megan Keaton
ENC2135-07
7 August 2015
Kalu Yalas Study Abroad: An Off-The-Grid Program
Kalu Yala, a town located in Panama that is currently being built by CEO Jimmy Stice
from the ground up, is predicted to prosper substantially not only for its members, but also for
the rest of the world. Stice, who wanted to offer more than just real estate, has been inviting
educators, students, and interns all over the world to conduct research in Kalu Yala for big
investors that could turn the city into an eco-friendly community and world model. To do so,
Stice offers a study abroad program for these educators, students, and interns that could last for
six to twelve weeks with multiple different departments, such as business, biology, agricultural
science, and etc. Although this community includes members from all over the world, such as
educators, leaders, assistants, and even villagers, the students and interns are the most crucial
members of the community due to their purpose. Most students and interns have the desire to
gain a new experience in a specific field or sincerely concern with mans affects within the
worlds eco-system. Thus, this community allows the students and interns to observe the other
members, while being educated.
Before most recent times, this community included a finite list of genres that would
interrelate with each other to carry out its purpose. For example, a cell phone that could be used
to access the Internet today in the community could have not been used before. Thus, Lyniesha
Wright, a past intern, explains, When I was in Kalu Yala, everything that I was engaged in was

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there with me. So I was absorbed in where I was, whereas when I have my phone, Im always
somewhere else, whereas she took advantage of the lack of ability to approach her urge of using
a phone. Being built from the ground up, Kalu Yala did not have many means to communicate
with the outside world. To do so, members would have to travel and hike five kilometers over a
mountain and board a bus (Hart). To communicate with the outside world and members from
home, students and interns would have to travel to the city of Panama, write their letters and send
it from there. Or, they would write it on a loose leaf of paper, give it to a villager, and hope that it
would reach the city to be sent out. Since then, this community of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad
Program forces its students to expand the boundaries and securities, as it has moderately, but still
been restricted by a limitation for genres. However, as this community advances while other
advances are occurring, members of this community must learn how to benefit from the genres
that the community extends to.
The Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program serves a plethoric amount of goals, which defines
what a community is. Members of a community actively share goals and communicate with
other members to pursue those goals, while the community may have multiple purposes or
common interests (Borg 398). Although many may believe that this specific community serves
the goal of creating a hub of positivity and social entrepreneurship that used greening and ecofriendly, sustainable methods of building to attract the type of investors, there are many other
purposes that the communitys members, such as their students, encounter (Slavin). For example,
although the interns and or students share that common goal, they also share the goal of gaining
an experience that could be used for their future and or career. First Lady Obama agrees, It is
going to make you more marketable in the United States. More and more companies are realizing

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that they need people with experience around the world, (qtd. in Imam). Furthermore, Aaron
Prairie, the biology director of the program, describes that the community allows for the
opportunity for students to really immerse themselves in the biodiversity of Panama and make
their own observations, ask their own questions, and pursue their own passions, another interest
within the community, (Prairie). With these multiple purposes or goals, the Kalu Yala Study
Abroad community has a bulk of genres that simultaneously assists the students and interns to
serve these purposes or goals.
With modern day, the Internet is used daily by other people around the world. However,
the Internet becomes a new resource for the communitys students and interns in the Kalu Yala
Study Abroad Program. For example, members of this community use the Internet as a resource
for Google Hangout, a genre that has been accessed by the rest of the world, but only recently
accessed by the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program. Google Hangout, an additional service created
by Google, is a genre that includes instant messaging, video chats, and many more. These
Hangouts usually have the purpose to host online video conferencing either privately or
publically for social or informational means. If used to host publically for informational means,
this genre is then associated with another genre, Google Plus, and has the ability to upload the
conference directly to YouTube. Within the community of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program,
entrepreneurial interns and CEO Jimmy Stice have been using Google Hangout to discuss
radical new approaches to sustainable development (Marich). Although the community
members use Google Hangout regularly, it was specifically used in the 2013 Global
Entrepreneurship Week. With this genre, students and interns can learn from their educators
through written and visual modes that were broadcasted live and still could access today on

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YouTube. Written modes included the questions that students from the conference asked and
answers that the educators responded with, while visual modes included the live video feed from
those representatives.
This genre additionally grants leaders and educators to conduct lessons for their students
and interns. These lessons include a ton of possible topics, such as business, biology, agriculture,
etc. Similar to the conference, educators have the capability to broadcast live feed to teach one of
the possible topics, while the students and interns watch. The students then have the ability to ask
and respond to their educators teachings, with the written modes. Besides educational purposes,
students and interns also utilize Google Hangout to communicate with the outside world, such as
their family and friends from home. Again, this genre allows both sides of the world to
communicate with live video broadcast and written modes. Google Hangout ultimately assists in
serving the communitys goals by accomplishing a convenient mean of communication, when
formal and or informal conferencing directly is not possible.
The genre of Google Hangout has led to many different genres, such as tweets. For
example, those who were apart of the Global Entrepreneurship Week had the ability to ask
questions on Twitter using the hash tags #KaluYala #GEW2013 (Marich). With the ability to
only tweet or write one hundred and forty characters on Twitter, it created simplicity for the
audience, which is the community of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program. Moreover, the tweets
also included the dates and handles (basically the personal username created by the tweeter),
which allowed the member to be more direct and specific with each other. In addition, the hash
tags, #KaluYala and #GEW2013, grouped the specific tweets together to allow those apart of the
conference to search and see what is only relevant to the conference. Although Google Hangout

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had led to another genre of tweets, the community did not require for it to be used. Participants
within the conference also had the option of using the chat-box to ask questions. Therefore, a
tweet is an unofficial genre within the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program, which has been used
multiple times during other Google Hangouts, rather than that just one time during the Global
Entrepreneurship Week. Today, the hash tag #KaluYala, can be searched on Twitter, and recent
tweets will be displayed. For example, a student named Christopher David, tweeted, Only have
twenty days left. Its been a great ride, on July 13th, 2015. Since the community does not require
tweets, the students and interns have freedom, regarding their tweets. But of course, there are the
same restrictions that Twitter provides: only one hundred and forty characters can be used in one
tweet.
In todays society, social media has become a main source to communicate, such as
Google Hangout and Twitter. However, Facebook, a genre that enables networking online, has
been taken advantage of since Internet became a reliable resource in the Kalu Yala Study Abroad
Program. The use of this genre is to create a better product, but also a better product, but also a
better place, and a better space, which will hopefully create long lasting relationships between
the members, investors, and rest of the world (Kalu Yala, Peter Yesawich Jr). These
relationships are created, in hope of finding potential investors and members. On the
communitys official Facebook page, it has several contents that allow the members to really
describe who they are as a community. For example, the community is presented as a union as
the genre includes photos that capture their everyday lives. The photos may present members
assisting each other to build a project, or, as simple as singing around a campfire. In addition, the
genre allows status updates, which grants the community to share to influential people who

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live in Panama or the rest of the world to see what we are up to (Prairie). Rather than just
communicating with the rest of the world, Peter Yesawitch J.R., an independent digital
consultant, explains that the community uses social media; especially the genre of Facebook
builds a community online, by mocking its own community at a social media respect. The genre
shares and invites the communitys lives to other people in the world, including potential
members (leaders, educators, students, or interns), or potential investors. However, leaders who
use this genre have to be very careful. Since Internet is now easily accessed in most of the world
and can be dangerous, leaders must be aware of the all members security and activities,
Were foreigners. Were not going to post a picture of the hotel of where were staying at
(Partridge).
The Kalu Yala Study Abroad additionally benefits from the official genre of a blog, which
all students are required to learn WordPress blog publishing skills and will document their
program weekly on our blog that averages 7,000 unique visitors per month (Kalu Yala, Project
Models). Why are members required to use this genre, when other social media genres are
already respectfully used? The Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program believes in their members
benefiting from their experiences within the community. Therefore, this genre aids the members
to really immerse themselves in the biodiversity of Kalu Yala and make their own observations,
ask their own questions, and pursue the own passions (Prairie). For example, members, such as
entrepreneurial leaders, focus on transforming educational standards and leading pioneers in
experiential learning (Purdue). Furthermore, this genre is also required because similar to
Facebook, the genre invites potential investors or even future members to join this community.
For example, Maddy Partridge, a past agricultural intern explains, In the valley, one of the

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interns would have to write a blog, using WordPress, every week about the project that we were
working on, (Partridge). Although WordPress may not be as an easy concept as Facebook and or
Twitter, it does evoke more creativity from the members. The students and interns must design
their blog based on their project, while presenting their own personality and interests on it, as
well. For instance, the blogs may have pictures of the members working on a particular project,
while primarily including written posts that could be accessed by anyone with the Internet.
However, these blog posts are generally written to publish and share the students and or interns
observations, ideas, and questions based on their projects or experiences. Similar to other interns,
past business intern, Austin Tunnel, believes that these blogs forces students to try something
new and discover how much they are capable of, because they are required to write
descriptively of their experiences, which means they must get out of their comfort zones to write
something that would interest potential investors and community members (Petronzio). In
addition, while the members must create the genre of a blog individually, CEO Jimmy Stice also
personally selects a blog to feature on the communitys official website, every week of the
program.
Despite the excess use of genres that involve social media, the Kalu Yala study Abroad
Program also focuses on serving at an academic aspect. With genres that serve academically,
information found can be applied to different aspects of the community (agriculture, tourism,
culinary, education, Health and Wellness, etc. (Prairie). For instance, Aaron Prairie, current
biology director, explains that, Everybody is required to create a PDF of their work
documenting the members individual project goals Often times for biology, it means a
scientific paper (Prairie). Consequently, a past biology intern, Evan Conaway, explains a

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specific genre of a dichotomous key that measures the index of every plant that shares the
same features of the Kalu Yala Valley and San Miguel, (Kalu Yala, William Hollis). This
genre of a dichotomous key is a prime example that leads into the genre of a scientific paper that
Prairie refers to when speaking of his biology interns and students. The goal of comparing the
features of the Kalu Yala Valley and San Miguel is extremely important because it presents a
comparison of something unknown to something known. With this comparison, the members can
try to improve the unknown or the known with the help of the other. For example, the
dichotomous key of the shared plants can lead into more knowledge of information. Because of
the certain features of a specific plant in San Miguel, there may be a cause, such as the type of
soil that San Miguel has. Thus, the communitys members can assume that the Kalu Yala has the
same soil, if the valley shares the same plant with San Miguel.
The genre of the dichotomous key is a fairly easy concept. It includes instructions such
as, Go to, from plant to plant to simplify the analysis of the genre. By having such a
simplified genre, the members of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program can easily conclude their
researches. Rather than requiring a nonspecific plant index, the community requires a
dichotomous key because it makes the research more efficient for the members. For example,
requiring the same thing for every member allows the members to compare and contrast notes
easily. This then helps them to find discoveries or mistakes within their research easily, as well.
Therefore, this genre then becomes a common language for the community, since the members
are required to understand what a dichotomous key is and how it works.
Ultimately, the community of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program utilizes genres such
as Google Hangout, Twitter, Facebook, dichotomous key, and blogs, to serve multiple goals.

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However, they are all similar because they serve one certain goal: To benefit the world by
creating an eco-friendly model based on its natural resources. Although all genres serve this goal
differently, the genres also interact with each other simultaneously. For example, the official
genre Google Hangout was previously mentioned in relation to the unofficial genre of Twitter.
Twitter is not required by Google Hangout, but offered to create an easier way to communicate
within a large or small videoconference. Furthermore, the official genre of Facebook is also
connected to the unofficial genre of Twitter, because Facebook gives an option to share each a
Twitter post by a community member and vice versa. The official genre of the dichotomous key
is also relevant in the other genres, such as Google Hangout or blogs, as biology students and or
interns may explain their research from the dichotomous key within a Google Hangout
videoconference or their individual blogs.
Together, the genres of Google Hangout, Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress blogs offer
an optimistic idea of the future technical advances of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program. For
example, the members of the community take full advantage of these social media genres, while
there was no opportunity to in the past. To be more specific, Google Hangout and Twitter display
that the community is willing to reach out to anyone, especially those who have questions. CEO
Jimmy Stice is a prime example of a great leader, who is willing to provide information to others
to help them understand the community easily by offering Google Hangout and Twitter as
genres. The genres of Facebook and WordPress blogs display that the Kalu Yala Study Abroad
Program provide the outside world with stories and personal experiences, showing that the
community takes advantage of every means of communication. These genres essentially create
relationships with the outside world, by either inviting members of the outside world into the

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community or sharing person experiences with those members. Otherwise, it is ironic to see that
the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program was very restricted before, which allows seeing a
transformation within the communitys members. For example, leaders, educators, students, and
or interns, knew communication via social media wasnt an option, therefore they had to figure
out how to survive really quickly without it (Partridge). Now since the community members are
taking full dominance over mass media, it is easier to depend on social media for survival, as
of course, social media is a very crucial mean of communication todays society everywhere. For
example, the community was known as, off-the-grid, ever since it began. However, as
technology advances, it is described that the community, had to invent its own grid, because
they have so much more resources now, including the use of Internet (Partridge).
However, other than media, the communitys other genres have also stayed the same to
its history. For example, genres must be traced back to its historical events to fully illustrate the
importance of it today (Shipka 48). The official genre of the dichotomous key has always been
used. For example, it was used when Conaway was a student of past biology director, Max
Cooper, and it is still used under the wing of current biology director, Aaron Prairie, to conduct
research. By using the same genre over time, it presents that the community is willing to stay
true to its origin, ultimately creating the community to be a stable community. Furthermore, by
using the same genre that a past director has used, it is presented that Prairie is willing to learn
from other leaders, as a leader, himself.
Again, the communitys advances have impacted the genres increasingly, whether if
includes technology advances or scientific advances. While technology is advancing within the
community, different genres are being emerged to surface. For example, Partridge describes that

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she had to travel, five kilometers hike over the mountain, into town, and then a bus ride to the
city, just to sit at a small strip mall to gain Internet access in the summer of 2013 (Partridge).
However, today in the summer of 2015, there is now Internet in the valley, creating a greater
demand of multiple genres, including Twitter and Facebook, to contact people from home or
investors from big companies. With the addition of the easy access of Internet within the
community, members no longer have to travel to the city to send out official business letters or
proposals. Today, genres are now reproduced electronically via another genre of emails to be sent
to companies at a faster convenience. Furthermore, as science advances, new approaches of
research also emerge within the community. Thus, different genres are being produced, as these
new approaches are being produced. Although the dichotomous key has always been used, the
use of it may be different today than before, as knowledge of the diversity in the community
increases. Again, the genres of business letters or proposals have different approaches now, since
the members are only becoming more educated than before. For example, current biology
director, Aaron Prairie, has a Masters in biology and chemistry, while past biology director, Max
Cooper, only had a B.S. in biology. Furthermore, the students and interns are now very selective,
as the genres within social media have increased the popularity and recognition of the
community. This essentially created a bigger pool of students and or interns who apply to be
apart of the community, since the community is more known now than ever before.
Although more genres are uprising, many genres are also limited by the goals of the
community. For example, although the use of the genres of Facebook and Twitter may have
increased exponentially, the use of these genres are not as important as the use of genres that
conduct research. Today, the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program still exists to promote a better

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world by offering a model of Kalu Yala as an eco-friendly town, based on its natural resources.
Thus, the communitys members are more associated with research to promote that better world
it is offering, while being, an amazing opportunity to research into the unknown (Prairie). For
example, students and interns can learn more of the worlds findings through the educational
purposes of Google Hangout. As educators are conducting lessons, students and interns use this
tool to develop ideas for the model town, which may be asked during the conferences. In
addition, social media genres such as tweets, Facebook posts, and blog posts allow the students
to publically record and present their researches and ideas. These public written records can be
seen by potential investors that may take an interest in this model town of Kalu Yala.
The community of Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program has advanced typically because of
its surroundings. If Kalu Yala, the town, could not advance, than the community could not either.
However, if the community could not advance, than neither could the town. Therefore, this
community needs to continually advance to achieve its purposes of creating a beneficial world.
However, the genres within this community inspires its members to step out of a comfort zone,
to step into another world, while benefiting the world everyone lives in. This communitys
alumni best concludes, it is also the concept and mentality of living a life where you can be
the best version of yourself, a more open minded and simplistic person who can take everything
in around them, does not hold back from creating big things, and lives like no one is watching
them (Slavin). To be an open minded and simplistic person, members of this community must
take advantage of every genre, whether if restricts any means of communications or expands all
means of communication.

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WORD COUNT: 3784

KEY
RED: OFFICIAL GENRE
BLUE: UNOFFICIAL GENRE
PURPLE: MEMBERS WHO ARE
READING AND/OR
COMPOSING THE GENRES
GREEN: CONNECTION
AMONG MEMBERS

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T

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KALU YALA STUDY ABROAD
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Works Cited
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- CEOJimmy
JIMMY Stice
and
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entrepreneurial
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AL
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future
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OTHERstudents,
- Other
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and
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AL INTERNS to

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use Twitter as an
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communicate
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EDUCATORS
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long lasting
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-the
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Borg, Erik. "Discourse Community." Discourse, Governmentality and European Integration
Governing Europe (1963): 91-400. Print.
Burch, Maggie. "Senior's Summer Abroad in the Kalu Yala Valley." The Collegian. N.p., 22 Sept.
2013. Web. 27 July 2015.
Imam, Jareen. "Studying Abroad Could Give You an Edge in the Job Market - CNN.com." CNN.
Cable News Network, 4 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 July 2015.
"Kalu Yala Entrepreneurial Internships." (n.d.): n. pag. Purdue Agricultural. Purdue University.
Web.
Kalu Yala. "Peter Yesawich Jr on Digital Community Trends." Kalu Yala's YouTube Channel.
YouTube, 20 May 2010. Web. 27 July 2015.
Kalu Yala. "Project Models." INTERNSHIPS (n.d.): n. pag. Kalu Yala. Web. 24 July 2015.
Kalu Yala. "William Hollis: Field Work Report August 2010." YouTube. YouTube, 6 Apr. 2011.
Web. 27 July 2015.
Marich, Mark. "KALU YALA TO HOST GOOGLE HANGOUT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AND SUSTAINABILITY IN PANAMA." Global Entrepreneurship Week. Global
Entrepreneurship Week, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 July 2015.
Partridge, Madeleine. Personal interview. 21 July 2015.
Petronzio, Matt. "Building the World's Most Sustainable Modern Town." Mashable. N.p., 6 Feb.
2014. Web. 27 July 2015.
Prairie, Aaron. Personal interview. 20 July 2015.
Shipka, Jody. Toward a Composition Made Whole. Pittsburgh, PA: U of Pittsburgh, 2011. Print.

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Slavin, Amanda. "The World of Kalu Yala." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10
Apr. 2010. Web. 27 July 2015.

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