The people behind the programs.

CELA was founded in 2010 by a group of friends and colleagues who had been working in Belize and saw how much the country could offer students. Real clinical settings. Real conservation sites. Real communities willing to open their doors. We created a company around making those connections work academically.

What made CELA different from the beginning was that it wasn't an American company setting up shop overseas. It was a partnership with Belizean educators, veterinarians, and community leaders who wanted to share what they knew. That's still how we work. In every destination, the people closest to your students are locals: they live there, they know the community, and they care about the place in a way that shows. As we've expanded into Greece and Thailand, we've looked for the same thing: partners who are rooted in their communities and genuinely want to open doors for students.

Since then, we've expanded from Belize into Greece and Thailand, added pre-health clinical shadowing and faculty-led group programs, and partnered with universities across the US. But the core hasn't changed: every program is designed around what students need to learn, in places where that learning happens naturally.

CELA is part of Loop Abroad, which has offered international education programs since 2009. Loop Abroad was recognized as the #1 study abroad organization on GoAbroad in 2024.

Our home base is in San Ignacio, Belize. It's not a satellite office with a phone number. Our Belizean staff live and work there, and they're the people your students will meet, learn from, and remember.

In Greece, we partner with on-site coordinators in Athens who manage the hospital relationship and daily logistics. In Thailand, we work through Loop Abroad's established team in Chiang Mai, which has welcomed students since 2009.

And our US-based team is always available by phone or email to answer questions, help with applications, and make sure you feel prepared before you ever get on a plane.