Finding Perspective in the Desert: Katherine’s Study Arizona Experience
Katherine describes herself as patient and calm, but beneath that steady demeanor is a quiet competitiveness and a desire to stand out and always give her best. That mindset has guided her academic journey from Peru to the University of Arizona, where she is completing a dual degree in Sustainable Built Environments at the University of Arizona and Architecture at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC).
For Katherine, sustainability is not simply about advanced technology or modern systems. It is about creating practical, affordable solutions by making the most of local climate conditions, available materials, and the surrounding environment.
Choosing Study Arizona
Her decision to study on the main campus in Tucson through the Study Arizona program was not immediate or easy. At first, she felt afraid. Leaving home and stepping into a new academic culture required courage. But ultimately, she recognized it as an opportunity she could not pass up.
Study Arizona offered her something unique: the chance to experience sustainability in a completely different environmental and cultural context. Tucson’s desert landscape, water challenges, and strong community-driven environmental initiatives presented perspectives she simply could not gain in Peru. It was not just an exchange semester, it was an expansion of her worldview.
Finding Community and Life beyond Classrooms
Katherine still remembers her first day on campus clearly. She got lost trying to find her classroom. What could have been overwhelming quickly turned positive when people stopped to help her, offering directions and welcoming conversations. By the time she reached class, she had already made new friends.
Her professor made her feel comfortable and included from the very beginning. That early warmth helped her settle into the Wildcat community and reinforced what makes Study Arizona distinct: students are not treated as visitors — they are treated as Wildcats.
She explored new foods in the dining halls, spent time enjoying the beauty of campus, and discovered resources that support student wellbeing.
One of her favorite campus resources was the Campus Pantry, a student-run supplemental grocery program serving students, faculty, and staff. Designed to prevent food insecurity and empower Wildcats to take advantage of available support systems, the pantry reflected something Katherine deeply values: sustainability is also about caring for people.
Learnings from the Desert
One of the most meaningful academic experiences of her semester was visiting the Watershed Management Group in Tucson. There, she learned about rainwater harvesting systems and strategies to reduce, reuse, and even treat water at the household level.
What fascinated her most was not only the technical systems, but the philosophy behind them: reducing consumption and living in closer harmony with the environment. In Tucson’s desert climate, sustainability is not optional, it is essential. That urgency reshaped how she thought about her own research.
The visit was especially significant because her thesis required interviewing an expert in river rehabilitation. Through this program she gained access to professionals and community leaders whose work bridges environmental science, design, and social engagement.
Rethinking the Rímac River
During her visit, Katherine interviewed Joaquín Murrieta-Saldivar, Cultural Ecologist Director at the Watershed Management Group. His experience in river restoration provided invaluable insight.
Katherine shared her early ideas for addressing pollution in Peru’s Rímac River, including covered channels to collect trash and bioremediation plants to reduce chemical contamination caused by illegal mining in the upper basin.
Joaquín’s feedback shifted her perspective. He explained that technical systems alone cannot stop river pollution without community connection. If people living near the river do not change their relationship with it, contamination will continue. Real restoration requires participation.
That conversation became a turning point in her research.
This experience also reminded Katherine of a quote: “When does a man really die? A man dies when he is forgotten.”
For her, the Rímac River is “dead” not because it cannot be restored, but because it has been forgotten by its own country. That realization strengthened her commitment to propose actionable, community-driven solutions for its revival.
By studying sustainability in the Sonoran Desert, she gained perspective on how environmental challenges can inspire innovation, resilience, and collaboration. The Rímac River faces complex challenges: pollution, crime, lack of government control, and public fear. Katherine realized that technical solutions while helpful would ultimately fail without community involvement. Her thesis expanded to include community-centered design strategies, such as recreational spaces that could bring people back to the river and transform it from a place of fear into a shared public space.
As her time in Tucson comes to an end, Katherine knows what she will miss most: the people. The friends she made. The professors who supported her. The welcoming community that helped her grow.
Looking ahead, she plans to complete her remaining year at UPC and then apply for a master’s degree at the University of Arizona.
For Katherine, Study Arizona was more than a semester abroad. It was a transformative experience that expanded her academic thinking, deepened her understanding of sustainability, and connected her to a global community of changemakers.