Upon beginning my undergraduate career, I promised myself that I was going to live in authenticity. Everything that I was to do as an undergraduate I was going to do because I genuinely enjoyed doing it and fortunately this was one of the things that I gravitated towards. Global learning has enhanced my undergraduate career immensely. The knowledge that I was able to have due to global learning has led me to find more curiosity for topics of global learning. It led me to venture into the topics of global health and even aid in forming a club at FIU called Med Reach that focuses on global health. The study abroad I participated in made me more aware of the cultural differences between America and Europe, but also the similarities. There are cultural differences in the way people go about their lives like the coffee breaks they take through the day in Europe and the "on-the-go" mentality people have here in America. There are also vast differences between the health of a person in a "third world country" vs a "first world country". This was demonstrated to me upon my arrival to my first mission trip in the Dominican Republic.
During this mission trip, I learned that not everyone has the luxury of medical supplies and trained personnel to treat them. The enrichment that comes from seeing different things, cultures, places, and people I felt has made me a more well-rounded individual. It has allowed me to face a variety of situations with an open mind. Being part of the program has also allowed me to keep up with the times and see how the world changes and new ideas form. Overall, it has been a fulfilling experience and it may carry on into my career as I develop into a future career of providing health care to underserved communities.
"If access to healthcare is considered a human right, who is human enough to have that right?" - Paul Farmer
I began my journey during my junior year of college once I learned about the global medallion. The program leaders were very welcoming to me and made me feel more motivated to continue my journey. This was when I found out about Tuesday Times round tables. My experience at the round tables has made me more knowledgeable on global topics. They discussed all sorts of topics including leadership, AI, and immigration. I became more aware that some immigrants like those who come from the Middle East don't have as many translating services here and feel estranged from society. This is also pertinent to the medical field and how some Middle Eastern patients have a hard time during visits because the language is not as common here as Spanish or Creole. This experience gave me the skills to think about situations from different angles to be able to problem solve more effectively.
The summer of my junior year I focused on my study abroad which I talked more about in my other blog post "coucou a tous" which means "hi to all" in French. It was a different experience than living in the US because public transportation is vital to getting around as well as walking places. It is a different and safe environment where walking alone is more acceptable. Sitting in a park to read is also very common on weekends and they have farmers markets at the parks on Saturdays. It was a learning experience and gave me the skills to be independent since I was away from home.
During my senior year, I embarked on a special project to cofound a premedical club that focuses on global health. This is a club called Med Reach at FIU that helps those communities in need. It brings topics happening worldwide to discuss in the general body meetings as well as gives students the skills needed to pursue a career in medicine or any prehealth career. We also work with a philanthropy called Medical Teams International to fund supplies for communities in need worldwide either through a monetary donation or hygiene supplies. It is a project that has a beautiful mission that needs to be expanded.
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