If you are looking to engage in experiential learning, whether it is in a laboratory on campus or a country overseas, the HC can provide you with amazing opportunities! I feel incredibly fortunate to be a member of the Honors College, because it means I have access to scholarships that enable me to travel the world. The Honors Experiential Award has allowed me to see the world and my chosen career path from a new perspective that will, without a doubt, boost me towards my goal of becoming a physician.
During the summer of 2015, I embarked on a 9-day trip to Nicaragua with a group of 30 other OSU students. We worked tirelessly all week with local medical professionals and community leaders to run a free medical clinic for those who would not normally to have access to even the most basic medical care. I cycled through various rotations that gave me a range of experiences, from using my Spanish at patient intake to watching tooth extractions in the dental unit. My favorite station was child charla, where my peers and I got to play games with the children while their parents were being treated. They had never played duck-duck-goose before, but after we taught it to them they were at it for hours!
I cannot stress enough how my experience in Nicaragua shaped me as a student and as a person. As somebody interested in the medical field, it was incredibly eye-opening to see how professionals practice their trade in a cultural setting drastically different from my own. I now have a deeper understanding of the global disparities in the quality of healthcare, an understanding that I would have never gotten by simply hearing about it in a classroom.
CATEGORIES: Inside Scoop