Diya, the president of the University of California Santa Cruz chapter of MEDLIFE, shared with us some thoughts on her personal experience with MEDLIFE and how it has shaped her understanding of healthcare, leadership, and the continuum of care. From the impact working with MEDLIFE has had on her perspective of healthcare and medicine, to its commitment to ethical service. In this Q&A, she explains how volunteering has influenced her, why MEDLIFE stands out as an opportunity for students to gain medical volunteer hours and leadership development skills, and how it works to create sustainable change in the communities it serves.
Diya: Hi, my name is Diya. I am one of the presidents of the University of California Santa Cruz chapter.
MEDLIFE: How has MEDLIFE impacted your life?
Diya: I think MEDLIFE is one of the organizations that completely impacted the way I view health and medicine. I am a global community health major, and so learning things in textbooks and in class is a way different experience than really coming and being enriched with it and being in these types of communities, also being a leader.
MEDLIFE: What would you say to people who doubt MEDLIFE or are skeptical of voluntourism?
Diya: I can totally understand doubts, especially with voluntourism that we see on social media and doubts that we’re just going to go in, throw some medications, and leave. I think MEDLIFE does a really great job at emphasizing they don’t do that. MEDLIFE stands for medicine, education, and development. And so, all three of those are equally important for well-being. A lot of my classes talk about social determinants of health. Those foundations are really important for diminishing voluntourism and understanding that the continuum of care really continues with MEDLIFE. A lot of the doctors here work locally, and then these patients are able to get the treatment outside of our mobile clinics too.
MEDLIFE: What do you know about where your money goes when you volunteer with MEDLIFE?
Diya: So, a lot of the funds for MEDLIFE that we pay for our trips with do go directly towards paying for a lot of supplies, and so it really makes us question and makes us think about where our money is going. As American students going abroad, a lot of us like to travel, a lot of us go with our families, and we go on trips, and so thinking about how we can put our money into more ethical, sustainable organizations is something that’s really important for us.
Diya is an excellent example of one of the many thoughtful, empathetic, and intelligent volunteers that works alongside us every day. Thank you Diya and University of California – Santa Cruz for your dedication to our mission and displaying an acute understanding of how MEDLIFE collaborates with and uplifts communities to achieving a continuum of care, long after the volunteers have left!
Check out more volunteer testimonials here!
If you are interested in gaining medical volunteer hours and leadership development on a Service Learning Trip like Diya, you can get started today by filling out the interest form below, downloading our free brochure, or checking out some of our upcoming trips!
You can also directly contribute to our medical, education, and community development projects by donating to our Moving Mountains campaign!