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Meet the Interns Year-long 2013-14 Part 2
Meet our new MEDLIFE year-long interns! Part 2!
Name: Ebony Bailey
Hometown: Porterville, California
School: University of Southern California
Major: Print and Digital Journalism
How I got involved with MEDLIFE: I volunteered a Mobile Clinic two years ago in Tena, Ecuador with my university — my first time overseas. It was a wonderful experience and I’m excited to be involved with MEDLIFE again.
Why did you decide to become an intern?: I’m very interested in digital media and wanted to apply my skills to a good cause, while also improving my Spanish. MEDLIFE’s media internship seemed like the perfect mixture of all three!
What was your first impression of Lima?: The traffic is crazy! But it’s also part of the personality and charm of this city. This city is huge and I love the sprawl — every neighborhood is a new place of discovery. Though I’ve only been here a week, it seems like it’s been months. I’m excited to explore much more of Lima and to see where the rest of this journey takes me.
My favorite part so far: Seeing the collaboration between community members in los pueblos jovenes and MEDLIFE staff when working on development projects. I love how they are so driven and passionate about making positive change in their communities. It’s empowering to see such community mobilization.
Name: Nicole Millward
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
School: McGill University
Major: Psychology and Cell Biology
How I got involved with MEDLIFE: I first got involved with MEDLIFE at McGill University, the first MEDLIFE Chapter in Canada, and was President for two years. I’ve been lucky enough to attend Clinics in both Tena and Lima, both amazing experiences!
Why did you decide to become an intern?: The most meaningful part of my University experience was my involvement with MEDLIFE, and I am excited to be able to see how it works on the ground. There is no other cause that I would feel as confident pursuing, and I am grateful for a chance to further contribute to the organization.
What was your first impression of Lima?: When I first got to Lima I was amazed by the size of the city and the differences between the neighbourhoods. After spending some time here I’ve grown to love the unique places I’ve found, as well as be excited for the neighbourhoods I have yet to discover!
My favorite part so far: My favourite part of working with MEDLIFE so far has been getting a chance to go to the field with Carlos. The interns are helping with the construction of a staircase in a community, and I’m grateful for a chance to understand how the process works from start to finish!
This trip motivated me more to pursue a career in the healthcare field so that I can use my resources to help those who need it the most, similar to MEDLIFE’s mission.
Victoria DiCanio
University of Connecticut
It was most enjoyable to finish the hard work and see how big a difference a group of individuals can make. It was such an amazing experience.
Anita Woo
University of Toronto
I enjoyed the mobile clinics the most, especially the dental and triage portions. I would definitely recommend a MEDLIFE trip, it was a great experience.
David Saff
Maclay High School
The most enjoyable part of my trip was hanging out with the amazing group of kids I was with. I would highly recommend a MEDLIFE volunteer trip to others.
Sydney Sansone
Nova Southeastern University
This trip made everything that I was learning in my public health courses come to life and immersed me in a new culture while also learning about medicine.
Abygail Youmans
College of Charleston
Being involved with MEDLIFE is not like joining another club - its bigger than that. It is about joining a movement that seeks to help change people’s quality of life for forever.
Emi Hofmann
University of Central Florida
Not only was I able to participate in a week long Mobile Clinic, shadowing doctors of all types of specialties including pharmacy, dentistry, gynecology, and more, but I was also able to learn about the culture and visit incredible places.
Julian Takagi-Stewart
University of Toronto
One thing that I really loved about this trip was that MEDLIFE made sure that the volunteers got an understanding of the complexity of issues that lead to underprivileged people in communities outside of the main city
Hannah Van Hofwegen
University of Ottawa
Whether it was basketball with the local kids, assisting the doctors, talking with families, building washrooms, holding babies, or spending time with the people who were on the SLT with me, this was an amazing opportunity that I would do over and over again.
Isabelle Holt
Cornell University
I loved learning about the patients MEDLIFE has followed and how they offer real help to people with chronic/urgent conditions. It is amazing how the organization formed real connections with the communities.
Valerie Lindeborg
Parent
Our family had the privilege of participating in multiple trips with Nick [founder] and his amazing staff. Their expertise made the trips unforgettable while instilling in my boys the fundamentals of good character: selflessness, compassion, and empathy.
Harry Vildibill
University of Georgia
As an aspiring physician, MEDLIFE motivated me to further continue my goal of becoming a doctor. In fact, I enjoyed the Tanzania Service Learning Trip so much that I decided to go on another trip to Cusco, Peru.