Donning her snorkeling gear, Arielle Feinstein ’27 submerged her face into the clear, calm water off the coast of Bali, Indonesia, to observe the artificial reef resting on the sea floor. Constructed of steel, the submerged structures, which mimic natural reefs, support marine biodiversity and aid in restoring the area’s devastated reefs and fisheries.
“I could have stayed for hours,” reflects the Financial Services major on the tour, where she learned about the work of BioRock — a non-governmental organization (NGO) that rebuilds coral reefs.
Feinstein was one of five students who traveled to Bali as part of their “Impact Core Global Capstone” course — the final requirement in Bryant’s general education curriculum. Led by College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Denise Horn, Ph.D., and in coordination with the Bali Institute, Feinstein’s class spent three weeks immersed in Balinese culture, learning about social entrepreneurship.
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Paired with five Balinese students from a local university, the undergrads also worked in groups to identify issues within the local community and come up with social businesses that addressed their topic.
“We went to several social businesses and nonprofits, so students could get a taste of the broad work being done in Bali,” says Horn. “We focused mostly on agricultural development, sustainability issues, and poverty alleviation.”
Feinstein’s group, which included Data Science major Will Arnold ’26, addressed water insecurity.
“While we were in Bali, we used bottled water for everything, so we looked into why that’s the case, where the water comes from, and issues with the water supply,” Arnold says.
Learning that agricultural runoff and overtourism have contributed to contaminated water and high bottled water prices, they turned their focus to underserved communities that often cannot afford to purchase bottled water and are at the highest risk of contracting waterborne diseases. The group conceptualized a rainwater harvesting product for upper- and middle-class residents with the incentive that, for every product purchased, an additional harvester would be donated to someone in need.
“I learned a lot about different aspects of business: What goes into them, how funding is secured, and proper marketing,” says Feinstein, adding that the project’s issue breakdown process is a skill she plans on using moving forward.
For Arnold, the most rewarding part was presenting their idea to community workers and NGOs.
“To live, eat, and breathe a topic that was not my major was cool because I was able to build up skills and apply what I've learned,” he says.