Ximena Figueroa-Enriquez ’23 – IES Galapagos Island

Hello everyone! 


My name is Ximena (pronounced He-men-ah), and I’m a junior biology student with a minor in women’s gender studies at Hope College. I was born and raised in Holland, but I’ll be sharing stories of my spring semester in Ecuador, specifically from the Galapagos Islands. I will be spending three months in San Cristobal Island and finishing my last three weeks of the program in Quito and the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Amazon rainforest. 


I am beyond excited as a biologist for this study abroad experience where I will fully immerse myself in fieldwork and learn about ecology, evolution and conservation on islands with some of the highest levels of endemism on the planet. Join me as I walk to school among sea lions, hike in the national park, and study nature like never before!