Participation in high school clubs plays a vital role in the shaping of students’ passions and leadership skills, especially when they focus on meaningful causes like global health and education. The Thomas Alva Edison MEDLIFE chapter is a standout example of how a high school club can make a global impact through passionate advocacy and teamwork.
This year Thomas Alva Edison has won several categories in our MEDLIFE chapter awards. Gina, one of their dedicated members has won the moving mountains individual award for raising over $750 for the Moving Mountains campaign. Another member, Jorge, has been recognized as the most outstanding high school chapter mentor for being a pillar of support and inspiration within the MEDLIFE high school community for over four years.
Whether you’re interested in starting a pre med club or looking for inspiring volunteer opportunities for high school students, this look behind the scenes of a chapter’s dedication and passion can offer you valuable insights on what MEDLIFE’s mission is about and how our chapters operate.
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Mariana, the marketing director of the Thomas Alva Edison MEDLIFE chapter, and she shared with me first-hand how their high school club recruits members, organizes trips, and empowers students to make a difference worldwide.
Here is the full interview with Mariana:
Mary: The first thing I’m going to ask is if you could state your name and also your E-Board title?
Mariana: My name is Mariana, and I am the marketing director for the Thomas Alva Edison MEDLIFE chapter.
Mary: And how did you first find out about MEDLIFE? How did you hear about the chapter?
Mariana: So, I first found out about the chapter in 2022 when they were doing club promotions. I saw what MEDLIFE was, and I saw what kind of things they did. Since they were mainly involved with a lot of community service and helping low-income families around the world, that is something that I really enjoy doing, and I wanted to be in an organization that had something that I enjoy doing. So that’s how I joined the chapter and then got involved with the trips and everything else.
Mary: And how many times has Thomas Alva traveled?
Mariana: They have traveled three times, and I’ve been to two of those times.
Mary: And what locations did you guys go to?
Mariana: The first one was in Lima, which I did not attend that one. But the two that I attended were in Cusco and recently in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Mary: And what kind of projects did your chapter participate in on those trips?
Mariana: So in Cusco, we built greenhouses in one of the low-income communities. We also went and had a little day with the children in one of the communities. We played sports with them, and we spent the whole day with them. And then in Costa Rica, we were supposed to build a basketball court. But then during, while we were building, some of the police department from Costa Rica came and told us that we couldn’t continue building the basketball court because the terrain we were using was from the airport security. We did not waste it though. We used it to build sidewalks for the community so they could transport easily.
Mary: That’s amazing. How does your chapter usually recruit new people?
Mariana: We use a lot of promotions. Like on Instagram, we create videos for people to see what we have done on past trips. We also create forms so people can sign up. And we basically go through all the classrooms to share our experience and motivate others to join the chapter and possibly attend one of the SLTs.
Mary: And how much time would you say that takes? Is it a lot of work for you guys?
Mariana: We usually take around a week to recruit people. Within a week, we already have quite some people that are interested, not just in the trip, but also in the club at school.
Mary: What would you say are your chapters biggest accomplishments?
Mariana: Aside from the trips that we’ve gone to that are one of our biggest accomplishments, I think one of our most recognized and biggest accomplishment is us becoming number one fundraising high school last year. Because it showed how hard we worked as a chapter to help these low-income communities in Latin America. Yeah, that was a really amazing accomplishment.
Mary: Yeah, you guys get very noticed in our chapter awards each year. So congratulations. It’s awesome work. And how does your chapter often fundraise? Are there any pointers or tips that you could give for other chapters?
Mariana: So, we do two power hours a year. We have one in the first semester and another one in the second semester. We fundraise money for the communities. And for something that doesn’t have to do with money, we collaborate with other clubs. We did one this year, where we did a school supply drive. Students donated school supplies, and we took them to Costa Rica and donated them to the different communities and all the children in one of the communities.
Mary: Wow, that’s really incredible work. Mariana, my final question for you is, what would you tell someone who is considering starting a chapter or just getting involved with a chapter? Would you give them any advice?
Mariana: I would tell them to go for it. Because MEDLIFE has a very powerful mission, and if you’re truly passionate about it, you should go for it and make a change. For me personally, service is something that is very important, and something that I love doing. And helping others is one of the missions that us, the privileged people have in the world. So I would just tell them to go for it, and if they feel like they’re not enough for it, then stand up, find people that support you and create the chapter.
Mary: Thank you so much for meeting with me today Mariana!
Mariana: Thank you!
I so enjoyed meeting with Mariana and learning more about the inner workings of her chapter. Thank you Mariana for lending your time to share some insight about the Thomas Alva Edison chapter!
To learn more about how you can start your own MEDLIFE high school club or college club, fill out the interest form below or download our free brochure.