Ashley Milligan
M.A. Environment, Development, & Peace with a specialization in Sustainable Food Systems, United Nations mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica. Anticipated graduation, 2014.
B.A. Human Ecology & Interdisciplinary Food Studies, Johnston Center for Integrative Studies, University of Redlands, California, USA.
Over the past 7 years, Ashley has realized the power of experiential education through participating in multiple immersion programs and later by facilitating such programs. Ashley has studied in Costa Rica, Thailand, and Honduras and has traveled extensively. Because of her Chilean roots, Ashley has had the opportunity to immerse herself in the beautiful language and culture of her family’s country since she was a teenager. Her first study abroad experience was a game changer and cultivated her passion for experiential education and interdisciplinary food studies. Through her multiple study abroad opportunities, Ashley gained the confidence and skills to design and teach an undergraduate course her senior year and has been dedicated to education ever since. She has also participated in the Outward Bound Practicum on Experiential Peacebuilding in Costa Rica.
As an AmeriCorps volunteer with Heifer International, Ashley was able to combine her passion for education and sustainable food systems by facilitating educational programming to people of all ages and backgrounds on agriculture, hunger, poverty, and development. Never afraid to get her hands dirty, Ashley decided she wanted try her hand at farming and began raising chickens, ducks, bees, goats, rabbits, pigs, and geese and provided nutritious, delicious, and humanely and sustainable raised food for her community and family.
While farming full time, Ashley delivered nutrition education to lower income families in her community through the University of Arkansas and later worked for Habitat for Humanity. She then packed her bags, said goodbye to her farm and moved to Costa Rica to earn a degree from the UN mandated University for Peace where she currently lives and learns with people from over 50 countries. Geared with regional fluency in Latin America, Ashley is excited to facilitate a life-changing summer in Nicaragua to ignite a passion for global citizenship and responsible travel.