By KATIE LEONE / FGCU STAFF
There are many ways college students could spend their first week of summer vacation: sleeping 15 hours a day, cultivating the perfect suntan, binging on Netflix—the possibilities are endless. Nineteen FGCU students chose to spend their first week of summer taking people through triage, mixing heavy concrete and getting stuck in traffic jams triggered by herds of cattle.
After finishing final exams, these members of the FGCU Global Brigades Chapter departed on a medical and public health service-learning trip to Nicaragua. The nine-day program provided nearly 1,000 hours of medical assistance and holistic community development for agrarian communities in the mountainous regions surrounding the city of Estelí.
The Global Brigades is an international health and sustainable development agency that connects university students with communities in need around the world. The student volunteers gain professional training by collaborating with host community members to increase the quality of life in the regions where they serve.
FGCU students spent the first half of their journey preparing the pharmacy, which they stocked through fundraising, and running a clinic out of an agricultural cooperative. The clinic served almost 700 people who would not have access to health care otherwise. Some of the most common ailments at the clinic, such as parasites and fungal infections, could be prevented by improved sanitary and water quality conditions. During the second half of the trip, the students renovated a family’s home by building a latrine, shower and septic system and installed concrete flooring. These renovations should last a family four for the next 20 years and will make the family members less susceptible to disease.
In addition to helping communities in need, the brigade developed FGCU students’ professional skill-sets and reinforced their career aspirations. The majority of students are pursuing coursework that will prepare them for jobs as health professionals, but many are still undecided about their specific post-graduate career aim. The trip increased their confidence and introduced them to career options that they had not previously considered.
“Now I feel comfortable taking a patient through triage,” said volunteer Yelixa Larios-Lopez, a junior pre-nursing student. “The first day we practiced, I couldn’t hear anything through the stethoscope and was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to do it. This trip has made me realize that I am capable of pursuing my dream of medical school after completing my nursing program.”
Rachel Walter, the FGCU chapter’s vice president, had a similar experience.
“I found out that I love pharmacy and that I’m really good at it,” the junior biology student said. “There are so many professions that help people, but I really want to do something in the medical field because it makes people’s lives better. This trip made me aware of some other aspects of the medical profession I could make an impact by doing.”
FGCU Global Brigade President Eric Agosto, a senior biology major, said he felt like a proud father watching his peers learn and grow during the trip. On the last night, he closed the group reflection by saying, “Do not let the inspiration you feel from this trip die off. This experience was important, and it is going to mold us all into the professionals we want to be. I know that you are all going to be tremendously successful.”
- Interested in joining the FGCU Global Brigades? Connect through EagleLink or email Elvis Barrera at [email protected]
- This story was contributed by Katie Leone, Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Coordinator, who served as a chaperone on the Nicaragua trip
Global Brigades brought public health aid to Nicaragua this summer.