Shuford Away
Summer Away
Tena, Ecuador
May 10 — May 19, 2026
At A Glance
Summer Away in Ecuador
- Program Contact: Molly Matthews
- Program Partner: Regeneration Field Institute (RFI)
- Dates: May 10th – May 19th, 2026
- Prerequisites: None
- Eligibility: Open to all declared and admitted Entrepreneurship minor students, with preference given to those who have completed ECON 325. Students who have already completed the internship requirement are eligible for this program.
- Interest Form Due Date: December 1st, 2025
Program Overview
The Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship partners with Regeneration Field Institute (RFI) for an international innovation experience that fuses purpose with action in Tena, Ecuador. Students live and work in a historical city while earning 75 internship hours towards the internship requirement of the Entrepreneurship minor.
Through their work and additional programming, students will meet with local community partners and gain hands-on experience in regenerative entrepreneurship developing viable, scalable solutions for the problems their communities face, including agri-livestock systems, raw material dependency, waste management, and concrete construction. Students will also hear from local students and guest speakers who are engaged with a number of exciting projects and initiatives. Students complete 75 hours towards the required Shuford Program internship.
This program encourages students to use their entrepreneurial background to make significant contributions to a community problem, learning to communicate, collaborate, and network in an international cultural context. Students will dive into real problems by engaging with the local community and work on regenerative business ventures learning how to incubate, scale, and integrate sustainable enterprises into local economies. Through this experience and analysis of markets and trends, students embark on a creative journey to generate truly innovative solutions that can be implemented by RFI and local community members.
Upon completion of this program, students are eligible to enroll in ECON 193 Internship in Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship for 1-credit hour. More information about ECON 193 can be found here.
Program Components
Over the course of the program, students will visit four local community partners who have direct experience with each of the problems this program aims to address: agri-livestock systems, raw material dependency, waste management, and concrete construction. After being immersed in the local problems, students will form teams, select one of the problems, and spend time deep diving into research on the subject before ideating and drafting a plan for a social-environmental enterprise that has the potential to improve their selected problem. One expert consultant for each subject area will visit the students to provide feedback, ideas, and guidance on their proposal. By the end of the trip, each team will have prepared a pitch as well as a detailed plan for their business.
Students must complete at least 75 hours of internship work for the internship to count towards hours required for the Entrepreneurship Minor.
Program Costs
RFI Billable Costs are billed directly by RFI. Program fees are paid directly to the host institution.
- Program Costs (Logistical Costs): $2,250.00
- Transportation
- Lodging
- Meals
- Excursions
- Community Visits & Workshops
UNC Billable Costs or Cashier-Billed Expenses are applied to your UNC Student Account.
- Study Abroad Admin Fee: $150.00 (refunded by Shuford Program)
- GeoBlue Health Insurance: $20.00
Non Billable Costs or Out-of Pocket Estimates are estimated educational and living expenses while studying abroad and may vary based on your spending habits.
- Airfare: $1,200.00
- Passport: $165.00*
- Personal Expenses: $250.00*
The total anticipated cost of this program is $3,500.00.
