January 14, 2020
A graduate for island living
Caleb Coppenger, a graduate of the School of Hospitality Leadership’s Master of Science in Sustainable Tourism program, is putting his education to work. Caleb grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, and received his undergraduate degree at Auburn University in Alabama. He served as a logistics officer in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years following college and married his wife Tiffany during that time.
Coppenger and his wife then received some cross-cultural training and worked with a nongovernmental organization in Indonesia for several years. Then, in 2010 and staying in Indonesia, the Coppengers opened Saltwater Tours Buton Branch, an adventure tourism company.
Working in Indonesia
Coppenger takes guests from America and Australia on tours throughout the islands of 
Southeast Sulawesi, so they can stay in small villages and experience Indonesian culture. His company offers scuba diving, SUP, kayak, hiking and caving tours. While at work, Coppenger travels to almost all the inhabited islands in the province. Over the past 12 months, he has spent some time learning the cultures of small Muslim cultures.
He currently lives with his wife and their three children in the city of Baubau. Through the Coppenger’s experiences, all have integrated themselves in many aspects of life in their majority Muslim community through business, school and social relationships. They are all fluent in the Indonesian language, and Caleb has done extensive research throughout these islands in connection with a book he published in 2011, which is an ethnography of the people among these islands and provides an overview of their activities and beliefs.
While in Indonesia, Coppenger completed his graduate degree online at ECU which he says, “helped me ensure my business operates sustainably, as well as to be able to advise others in the province.”