Ho 1

Kayla Ho
Megan Keaton
ENC2135-07
28 July 2015
Kalu Yalas Study Abroad: An Off-The-Grid Program
Lyniesha Wright explains, When I was in Kalu Yala, everything that I was engaged in
was there with me. So I was absorbed in where I was, whereas when I have my phone, Im
always somewhere else (qtd. in Burch). 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. This community forces its members to expand
their boundaries and securities, as it is restricted by a limitation of genres, such as a cellular
device, as Wright explains.
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
eco-friendly, sustainable methods of building to attract the type of investors (Slavin), there

Ho 2
are many other purposes that the communitys members encounter. For example, although
the interns and or students have 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
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 members to serve these
purposes or goals.
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). However, as technology advances, the
Internet becomes a main resource for many communities, such as the Kalu Yala Study Abroad
Program. For example, 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, yet another genre. 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). For example, these members

Ho 3
specifically used this genre in 2013 for Global Entrepreneurship Week. For this event, the
community used Google Hangout as written and visual modes that were broadcasted live and
still could be seen today on YouTube. Google Hangout has been used multiple of times within in
the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program. For example, Google Hangout allows members of the
community to privately have a video chat with family and or loved ones at home. This genre also
grants leaders and educators to conduct a lesson, when needed. In addition, this genre also offers
the members of the community to propose business plans or report researches to big investors,
which ultimately assists in achieving one of the communitys goals.
The genre of Google Hangout has led to many different genres, such as Twitter and
YouTube. 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 had led to another genre of Twitter, the community did not require for
it to be used. Therefore, Twitter became an unofficial genre. This unofficial genre has also been
used multiple times during other Google Hangouts, rather than that just one time during the
Global Entrepreneurship Week.
In todays society, social media has become a main source to communicate, such as
Google Hangout and Twitter. Additionally, the community takes advantage of the genre of

Ho 4
Facebook, to create a better product, but also a better product, but also a better place,
and a better space, (Peter Yesawich Jr) that will hopefully create long lasting relationships
between the members, investors, and rest of the world. 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. For example, 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 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,
to build a community online and to measure the content and relationship of that community
(Peter Yesawich Jr). By building a community online, the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program is
mocking its own community, but rather at a social media aspect. With this official genre of
Facebook, the members are essentially inviting outsiders to join this community, whether as a
potential member (leader, educator, student, or intern) or a potential investor. However, leaders
who use this genre have to be very careful. They must be aware of the other members security,
Were foreigners. Were not going to post a picture of the hotel of where were staying at
(Partridge).
As stated before, the community of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program has many
different goals and or purposes. Thus, this community must have different type of genres. Again,
genres are means of written communication to serve the communitys goals. Although the
communitys genres do serve at a social aspect, the community also serves at an academic

Ho 5
aspect. Current biology director, Aaron Prairie, describes the communitys research and
knowledge, gained in Biology can be applied to different aspects of the community
(agriculture, tourism, culinary, education, Health and Wellness, etc.), (Prairie).
He also 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 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, (William Hollis). This genre of a dichotomous key is a
prime example 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

Ho 6
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.
Again, another purpose of the community of the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program
includes granting the members the right 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, the entrepreneurial leaders focus on, transforming
educational standards and leading pioneers in experiential learning (Purdue). To witness this
transformation, it is explained in the 2014 Kalu Yalas Informational Packet that, All students
will be required to learn WordPress blog publishing skills and will document their program
weekly on our blog that averages 7,000 unique visitors per month, (Project Models).
WordPress is an online software that creates blogs that could be posted online. The community of
the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program requires this genre of blogs because it not only presents
what the students or interns have learned, but similar to Facebook, it invites potential investors or
even future members to join this community. Although the informational packet emphasizes that
the genre is required by entrepreneurial students, a past agricultural intern explains that, In the
valley, one of the 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. However, it primarily includes written posts that could be
accessed by anyone with the Internet. These blog posts are primarily written to publish and share

Ho 7
the students and or interns observations, ideas, and questions based on their projects or
experiences. Alike the 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, the CEO Jimmy Stice also personally selects a blog to feature on the communitys
official website, every week of the program. Consequently, the genre of the communitys official
website is also based on the same software WordPress.
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.
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.

Ho 8
Together, the genres of Google Hangout, Twitter, Facebook, and 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 blogs display that the Kalu Yala Study Abroad Program
provided the outside world with stories and personal experiences, showing that the community
takes advantage of every means of communication. For example, Tunnels blogs that were
expected of him, caused him to challenge himself, as he had to publish his own questions
based on research found, (Petronzio). Otherwise, it is ironic to see that the Kalu Yala Study
Abroad Program was very restricted before, which allows seeing a change 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

Ho 9
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
she had to travel a, 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. 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,

Ho 10
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
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).
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

Ho 11
take advantage of every genre, whether if restricts any means of communications or
expands all means of communication.
WORD COUNT: 3269

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

GENRE ECOLOGY MAP:

KALU YALA STUDY ABROAD
PROGRAM

Ho 12

GOOGLE
TWITTER
HANGOU
T

FACEBO
OK

DICHOTOMO
US

KEY

BLOG
S

Works Cited
- CEO JIMMY
STICE ENTREPRENUERI
AL INTERNS
ENTREPRENUERI
- OTHER
AL INTERNS
STUDENTS,
INTERNS,
- OTHEREDUCATORS
STUDENTS,INTERNS,
- INVESTORS,
EDUCATORS
COMPANIES, ETC.

ENTREPRENUERI
AL INTERNS

- INVESTORS,
COMPANIES, ETC.

- THE REST OF
THE WORLD

- BIOLOGY
INTERNS
- BIOLOGY
EDUCATORS

- OTHER
STUDENTS,
INTERNS,
EDUCATORS
- INVESTORS,
COMPANIES, ETC.

ENTREPRENUERI
AL INTERNS

- INVESTORS,
COMPANIES, ETC.

- OTHER
STUDENTS,
INTERNS,
EDUCATORS

- THE REST OF
THE WORLD

- INVESTORS,
COMPANIES, ETC.

Erik.

- THE REST OF
THE WORLD

"Discourse

Community."

Discourse,
-CEO Jimmy
- These
Stice
members
and
have the
entrepreneurial
opportunity to
interns use
use Twitter
this
as an
genre to
unofficial
proposegenre
business
toplans
communicate
to
future investors
with family or
friends from back
- Other home
students,
interns, and
educators
- Also
canuses
use thistwitter
as an during
unofficial
Google
genreHangout
to communicate
to ask questions
with family
by using
or the hash
friends tag,
from#KaluYala,
back

Borg,

- Members use
Facebook to
hopefully create
long lasting
relationships
between the
members,
investors, and
the rest of the
world
- Members share
their stories and
experiences with
the use of this
genre

- Biology interns
and educators
use index of
plants to, try to
work in harmony
with the
ecosystem,
rather than
replacing the
natural
ecosystem with
our own (Prairie).

- Blogs are
primarily written
to share the
students and or
interns
observations,
ideas, and
questions based
on their projects
or experiences.

Ho 13
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.
Slavin, Amanda. "The World of Kalu Yala." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10
Apr. 2010. Web. 27 July 2015.

Ho 14