School of Public Policy

David Bernell

By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - September 11 , 2024

This summer, political science Professor David Bernell and staff from OSU Athletics led a group of 11 student-athletes to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, to take part in Beavers Without Borders (BWOB), an annual experiential learning, service-abroad program that provides an opportunity for student-athletes to engage in study abroad.

During their week-long stay in the Dominican Republic, the student-athletes worked alongside community members to build an additional floor at the Centro Desarrollo Integral  Para la Niñez Enmanuel, an orphanage that provides a home to over 30 children from the community. When  this new addition is completed, the orphanage will be able to house 25 additional children who need a loving and supportive home.

“Beavers Without Borders is an extraordinary week of service, learning, and community building,” said Bernell. “It’s a one-of-a-kind experience for student-athletes who walk away with an immense sense of gratitude and accomplishment.”

Student-athletes typically have rigorous schedules and commitments to their respective academic courses and teams that can prevent them from taking advantage of study abroad courses. Established in 2011, BWOB offers short-term programs to provide opportunities overseas to these students. The first excursion was in Guatemala, where student-athletes built a home for a family in the city of Alotenango. Since its inception, BWOB has led a total of 13 trips, to Guatemala, Macedonia, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

“As a student-athlete, participating in a traditional study-abroad program and still meeting my athletic goals just isn’t possible,” said Lexi Hunt, a sophomore track and field athlete majoring in sociology at the School of Public Policy. “Beavers Without Borders provided an intense and immensely gratifying experience directly supporting and learning from  a community in need.”

BWOB has engaged in a variety of projects: construction and building renovation, agriculture, and distribution of shoes and clothing. For several years BWOB returned to the Dominican Republic – to work on projects at children’s homes, a retirement home, and in the farms and fields that provide food for these institutions. This longstanding relationship with the people of San Pedro de Macoris  and other Dominican communities has allowed for sustained connection.

In 2017 and 2018, BWOB led programs to Costa Rica and Guatemala, working with Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that collects shoes and distributes them worldwide through donations to those in need and through micro-enterprise partners. In 2023, BWOB partnered with Courts For Kids, where student-athletes traveled to Embera Puru, Panama, to build a sports court at a school for indigenous children.

“From a policy perspective,” Bernell explained, “these are projects that the national and local governments cannot support, typically due to financial or capacity restraints. The orphanage sat unfinished for years. Through relationships we had with community members, we were able to help this critical organization helping young children develop more capacity to serve the community.”

During their time in DR, the student-athletes, along with the faculty and staff leaders, lived at the orphanage and interacted with the children residing at the facility daily, building relationships and immersing themselves in the community. In between stints working at the orphanage participants would play softball or bond with those living and working nearby. During the evening, the student-athletes and faculty would participate in great discussions about what they experienced and learned during the day.

“In addition to learning about the local culture and way of life, you learn so much about yourself,” said Isabella Mitchell, a sophomore on the rowing team and public policy undergraduate student. “We poured ourselves into helping build a new floor at the orphanage, but also to genuinely connect with the kids and local community. It was overwhelming at the end realizing what we had to leave behind.”

Also joining the BWOB group to the Dominican Republic was public policy Ph.D. student Johanna Cervantes Garcia, an international student from Colombia. In addition to her work on the construction project, Johanna also served in the important role of being the group’s translator, as only a few members of the BWOB team were able to speak Spanish.

“Beavers Without Borders gave students a glimpse into what economic and social development looks like in emerging economies,” said Cervantes Garcia, “as well as how people respond to living in poverty and low-resource environments in incredible and thoughtful ways.”

Financial support for BWOB that went directly to the orphanage’s construction costs was raised by student-athletes for Dam Proud Day. Over $20,000 was raised.

To see more photos of the BWOB trip to the Dominican Republic, please visit YouTube.