Article by Student Reporter Zora Cunningham
Over the summer, GMSD students went the extra-mile participating in internships to further their educational and post-secondary interests. It's hard not to be inspired by their summertime internships.
First, HOSA President Bridget Igadwa received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Hue, Vietnam, for two weeks to learn about different areas of the medical field such as family medicine, anesthesiology, and experimental surgery.
Bridget observed several substantial procedures and even got hands-on delivering her first baby! She experienced a great culture shock through this internship as resources were limited; however, it further cemented her dream of helping the community as a cardiologist.
Her most significant takeaway from this experience was "that there's more to the world and life than we know. It's our choice to change it or break it."
HHS student Perry Pearson also had an eye-opening summer internship; however, her journey began a year ago: shadowing Dr. Allison at her social therapy practice. She observed how to assist individuals with social cognitive challenges such as autism or social anxiety and, in the summer, facilitated their summer camp's social skill-building exercises for a group of elementary school students.
A few fun activities included a swim day, social detective training, and party day. Perry aims to work in social psychology counseling, and this experience has helped to connect her to a passion for volunteering with children with special needs.
Her most significant takeaway from this experience was that "we can take social skills for granted, and we all need to be grateful for our abilities and grant understanding to those challenged socially."
Lastly, Sarah Folz, president of her BBYO Chapter, participated in Projects Abroad, where she traveled overseas to Cordoba, Argentina, to volunteer at a pediatric hospital for two weeks. While there, she learned about how various healthcare systems impact specific geographic locations noting the deviations between public and private hospitals.
She also shadowed several medical specialties, including dermatology, respiratory health, and primary care. In the future, Sarah aspires to work in the scientific field where a medical background is possible.
Her most significant takeaway from this experience was "learning how to adapt to being in an unfamiliar environment and how to communicate better with different types of people."
What are you going to do next summer?