International Relief Work Requires Head and Heart

Growing up, I always enjoyed helping people, and over time, it became a big part of who I am. My grandfather was a doctor in Kenya, and my uncle is a doctor in Tallahassee, so medicine is also a natural fit in my family. (Neither of my parents are doctors, but both have made careers at healthcare companies.)

Growing up, I always enjoyed helping people, and over time, it became a big part of who I am. My grandfather was a doctor in Kenya, and my uncle is a doctor in Tallahassee, so medicine is also a natural fit in my family. (Neither of my parents are doctors, but both have made careers at healthcare companies.) 

In my senior year of high school, there were multiple devastating hurricanes, and the massive Hurricane Dorian’s impact on the Bahamas especially captured my attention. My heart went out to the people and communities affected, and ever since, I have wanted to find a way to help with international disaster relief work. Every summer in college, I have volunteered at Virtua Mount Holly Hospital at home in New Jersey, but for a week each of the past two summers, I have found opportunities to help internationally with support from Washington College’s Hodson Internship Stipend Fund.  

In 2022, I spent a week in Jamaica, but covid protocols prevented us from doing direct patient care. We spent the week helping with planning to address a healthcare backlog and providing CPR classes for nurses and teachers. I was able to really see the behind-the scenes aspect of healthcare, which I thought was really interesting, but I realized hands-on is more my deal than behind-the scenes work. 

Making a Difference 

International relief work feels like the best way I can use the skills I have to help people. When a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in February of 2023, I was ready to sign up. Last July, I went to Turkey to help with the ongoing needs while the country continued to recover. Going to Turkey was the first time I really put healthcare and helping people together, which is what I want to do. 

The authorities had cleared a city block, and we lived and worked in tents alongside people displaced by the earthquake's damage. We had a pharmacy, optometry, a general physician, and a general healthcare area where we took vitals and directed people to the services they needed. As a pre-med student, I got to work in a lot of different areas. It was great experience for me because a physician has to be prepared for everything, and working in a community where so much had broken down because of the disaster, we saw everything from emergencies to routine care. For many people, even for those who had housing outside of the tents, we were the only healthcare available. 

I think education is one of the best forms of treatment because if you can prevent stuff, you don’t have to treat it. While I was there, I set up an educational space for the kids in the camp, and I taught them good healthcare habits. I gave the kids soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste and showed them all how to use them properly—washing between fingers and all around the hand and brushing for a certain amount of time in each area. Eventually, I want to specialize in pediatrics because I’ve always enjoyed working with children. I’m a member of the swim team at Washington and have previously coached youth teams. 

I mostly worked with the kids in the morning, and then in the afternoons, I usually worked in the triage area and the pharmacy, but I had a chance to provide some direct patient care, too. Also, we would play soccer and volleyball with the people living there when we weren’t working, and I found myself lending an ear to a lot of people who were dealing with grief, not offering a solution, just offering support. 

When we finished our week, the nonprofit organization I was volunteering with, International Medical Relief, donated its medicines to the hospitals, which were starting to open back up. There was a real sense of hope that things were going to be ok. It was very inspiring. 

I have stayed in touch with some of our translators, who were exceptional. (One 15-year-old girl translating for us spoke Turkish, Arabic, English, Spanish, and French.) They say things are opening back up and getting back to normal. 

I try to latch onto that sense of hope regardless of where I am. That and kindness, trying to put a smile on people’s faces every day.  

From Washington to the World 

I came to Washington College for its pre-med program, and it was everything I had hoped. The coursework in my chemistry major and biology minor gave me a strong foundation in the science I will need, and the rigorous preparation that the pre-med committee puts us through—writing personal statements, undergoing repeated practice interviews—served me well through the med school application process.

But what I have found at the College goes beyond what attracted me here. Not only have the academics been great, but Washington has also allowed me to explore how I can use the skills I developed to help people. Through the funding the Hodson Internship Stipend Fund provided, I experienced the international relief work that I felt drawn towards. I hope to continue finding those opportunities after I graduate and pursue my medical degree.