Hello, and thank you for taking interest in what we do and my role in that. I am native of Costa Rica, and have no more than a couple of scattered blood ties in other countries. However, life has blessed me with friendships and people I call family in many corners of the world. These people and the experiences I have shared with them away from my native Costa Rica have shaped my life and worldview significantly. In fact, I often say that while I was born in Costa Rica, I was born as an adult in South Africa; where I studied abroad in Cape Town and went through my “coming of age” experience. Among many other things, South Africa instilled in me a deep curiosity and passion for the immensely mysterious and diverse world of people and culture.
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It has been more than 20 years since this experience, and over a decade since I finished graduate school and started New Summit Academy with my dear colleagues and partners. The thirst for knowledge and zest for life that South Africa sparked in me, has only kept on growing with these other experiences. I can’t say I always understood the vastness of learning opportunities that life allows, but I think I have a better sense of that now. This small, but very useful, nugget of wisdom is something I want to evoke in all people I encounter, more with my actions than my words.
I believe this nugget of wisdom has informed my professional life as well. I am trained in Clinical Psychology, but chose to step outside of its confines for my doctoral work, which was on Integrated Ecology. I have found that just like nature thrives on diversity, knowledge does too. Some of the most exciting perspectives I use for my work did not come from Psychology, but from various fields, such as Anthropology, Evolutionary Biology, Education (especially constructivism), Systems Theory, Neuroscience, and of course Ecology. |
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I had just turned 25 when we started New Summit Academy, our therapeutic boarding high school. In 2012 I ventured to start our young adult program, The Bridge. In 2016, we researched and gave birth to the Supportive Immersion approach and the Supportive Immersion Institute. Almost simultaneously, we were strengthening our connections in South Africa to create our gap program, Sibanye. The most recent of our adventures is Pathfinder, which offers mental fitness and a fun life exploration for young adults. What a journey so far!! I find all these projects deeply motivating because they focus on young people finding the best version of themselves; and I strongly believe that the world needs the best version of our students. My main general goal for our students is: "find something within you and offer it to the world around you." I'm of the belief that growing up and becoming an adult is not just about becoming independent, but also about becoming a contributor.
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In my personal life, I try to take in all the shades of color life has to offer, to seize the precious opportunity of being alive. Being a kid again when playing with my children, sharing a life’s mission with my wife, spending time in nature, sharing with people from other cultural worlds, and trying to radiate as much passion with the least amount of fear are some of ways in which I feel the most alive. Thanks for taking the time to read through this. Please contact me if you have any questions or just want to chat more about what we do. I leave you with a list of my recent presentations and publications: |
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Publications
Recio, D. & Tracy, H. (2023). Finding the path to mental fitness. European Association for International Education. Forum Summer 2023, 12-15.
Recio, D (2022). The gaps in mental health that gap years can fill. Gap Year Association. (link to article)
Youngberg, K., Recio, D., & Tracy, H. (2020). Supportive Immersion: The use of cross-cultural transformative experiential learning to address social trends in the 21st century. Journal of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. DOI: 10.19157 (link to article)
Recio, D. (2018). Coming of age in foreign lands: The developmental benefits of cross-cultural immersions in struggling young adults. Journal of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, 10(1), 169-185. doi: 10.19157/JTSP.issue.10.01.08 (link to article)
Youngberg, K., Recio, D., & Tracy, H. (2018). Supportive Immersion: The use of international gap experiences as facilitators of personal development and 21st Century skills. Symposium on Experiential Education Research.
Recio, D. (2017). Multiple benefits of multicultural learning tools. AFS Perspectives.
Recent Presentations
Conference "Gap Year Association". Title: Gaps in Mental Health that Gap Years can Fill. University of Montana, June 2023.
Conference "Forum on Education Abroad". Title: Gaps in Student Well-Being through Intentional Study Abroad. Seattle, March 2023
Conference "Gross Global Happiness". Title: With a little Help to my Friends: Mattering & Psychotherapy Reversed. University for Peace, March 2023.
Conference "Community Colleges for International Development". Title: Student Wellness Sabbatical through Study Abroad. Washington DC, February 2023.
TedxPuraVidaED. Title: Secrets to avoid tricks of the mind. San Jose, Costa Rica. November, 2020.
Conference "Wilderness Therapy Symposium". Title: Nature, Culture and Healing. October 2020.
Conference "Wilderness Therapy Symposium". Title: Multi-Cultural Co-Creation. Park City, Utah, August, 2019.
Interview at Disruptions: Dialogues about teaching. Ecosystems and Experiential Learning. Castro Carazo University, July 2019
TedxPuraVidaED. Title: Living Ecosystems of Learning. San Jose, Costa Rica. June, 2019.
Conference "Gap Year Association". Title: Gap Years and Integrative Complexity. Orlando, Florida. November, 2018
Conference "Wilderness Therapy Symposium". Title: The Role of Nature in Wilderness Therapy. Park City, Utah. August, 2018
Conference “Young Adult Transitions Association”. Title: Growing up in the Age of Complexity: Why old Paradigms for Growth no longer work for Millennials. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. October 2017.
Conference “American Gap Association”. Title: "The Cognitive Benefits of Intercultural Gap Experiences". Denver, Colorado. May, 2017.
Conference “National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP)”. Title: To Surf or Not To Surf? The Benefits and Risks of Allowing Internet Use in Therapeutic Programs. Tucson, Arizona. January, 2017.
Conference “International Educational Consultants Association (IECA)”. Title: Culture as Catalyst: The use of Culture in Therapeutic Programs as an intentional tool for facilitating growth and mastery. New Orleans, Louisiana. November, 2016.
Conference “Young Adult Transitions Association”. Title: Coming of Age in Foreign Lands: The Developmental Benefits of Cross-Cultural Immersions to (struggling) Young Adults. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. October 2016.
Conference: “Young Adult Transitions Association”. Title: “From competition to collaboration: fostering a shift in values toward psychological healing.” University of Colorado. September 2014.
Recio, D. & Tracy, H. (2023). Finding the path to mental fitness. European Association for International Education. Forum Summer 2023, 12-15.
Recio, D (2022). The gaps in mental health that gap years can fill. Gap Year Association. (link to article)
Youngberg, K., Recio, D., & Tracy, H. (2020). Supportive Immersion: The use of cross-cultural transformative experiential learning to address social trends in the 21st century. Journal of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. DOI: 10.19157 (link to article)
Recio, D. (2018). Coming of age in foreign lands: The developmental benefits of cross-cultural immersions in struggling young adults. Journal of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, 10(1), 169-185. doi: 10.19157/JTSP.issue.10.01.08 (link to article)
Youngberg, K., Recio, D., & Tracy, H. (2018). Supportive Immersion: The use of international gap experiences as facilitators of personal development and 21st Century skills. Symposium on Experiential Education Research.
Recio, D. (2017). Multiple benefits of multicultural learning tools. AFS Perspectives.
Recent Presentations
Conference "Gap Year Association". Title: Gaps in Mental Health that Gap Years can Fill. University of Montana, June 2023.
Conference "Forum on Education Abroad". Title: Gaps in Student Well-Being through Intentional Study Abroad. Seattle, March 2023
Conference "Gross Global Happiness". Title: With a little Help to my Friends: Mattering & Psychotherapy Reversed. University for Peace, March 2023.
Conference "Community Colleges for International Development". Title: Student Wellness Sabbatical through Study Abroad. Washington DC, February 2023.
TedxPuraVidaED. Title: Secrets to avoid tricks of the mind. San Jose, Costa Rica. November, 2020.
Conference "Wilderness Therapy Symposium". Title: Nature, Culture and Healing. October 2020.
Conference "Wilderness Therapy Symposium". Title: Multi-Cultural Co-Creation. Park City, Utah, August, 2019.
Interview at Disruptions: Dialogues about teaching. Ecosystems and Experiential Learning. Castro Carazo University, July 2019
TedxPuraVidaED. Title: Living Ecosystems of Learning. San Jose, Costa Rica. June, 2019.
Conference "Gap Year Association". Title: Gap Years and Integrative Complexity. Orlando, Florida. November, 2018
Conference "Wilderness Therapy Symposium". Title: The Role of Nature in Wilderness Therapy. Park City, Utah. August, 2018
Conference “Young Adult Transitions Association”. Title: Growing up in the Age of Complexity: Why old Paradigms for Growth no longer work for Millennials. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. October 2017.
Conference “American Gap Association”. Title: "The Cognitive Benefits of Intercultural Gap Experiences". Denver, Colorado. May, 2017.
Conference “National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP)”. Title: To Surf or Not To Surf? The Benefits and Risks of Allowing Internet Use in Therapeutic Programs. Tucson, Arizona. January, 2017.
Conference “International Educational Consultants Association (IECA)”. Title: Culture as Catalyst: The use of Culture in Therapeutic Programs as an intentional tool for facilitating growth and mastery. New Orleans, Louisiana. November, 2016.
Conference “Young Adult Transitions Association”. Title: Coming of Age in Foreign Lands: The Developmental Benefits of Cross-Cultural Immersions to (struggling) Young Adults. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. October 2016.
Conference: “Young Adult Transitions Association”. Title: “From competition to collaboration: fostering a shift in values toward psychological healing.” University of Colorado. September 2014.