Last year, Alicia Reinsel got her chance to blend two of her biggest interests.

An honor student in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Reinsel spent her fall semester in Costa Rica completing her senior internship with the Costa Rica Rios, a hotel and adventure tour operator that arranges vacations and excursions.

The work she did fit the tourism and hospitality management major quite well.

But because she was also majoring in environmental studies, she found the trip twice as relevant, as it gave her the chance to conduct research on sustainable tourism.

“It’s allowing for development of tourism, while at the same time, preserving it for future generations,” Reinsel said.

The trip was the first time the Lancaster, Pa., native ever left the country. She discovered that much still needs to be done to protect the environment in Costa Rica.

The company where she interned gave her the opportunity to create a plan to make its operations more environmentally friendly. Ultimately, the company implemented her plan, which included a recycling program, ways to conserve energy and water, policy and training initiatives, and more community involvement.

“The hotel industry can create a lot of waste,” Reinsel said. “That just increased my interest in combining tourism with environmental studies.”

Reinsel plans to attend graduate school for community and regional planning. She said any job she takes will be tourism-related.

“I have been in the industry since I was 16 and was a waitress; it is my passion and will always be part of who I am,” she said.