The document summarizes the author's experience as a healthcare intern in Guatemala City, Guatemala through an international non-profit organization. The author volunteered at a local clinic, assisting doctors with various medical tasks and also participated in language and cultural activities. This experience shaped the author's future goals, including establishing a free health center for infants and children in a high-risk area to promote accessible healthcare.

1. This summer I was involved in the Intern Abroad Program with Cross-Cultural Solutions, an international not-for-profit organization, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Through the service internship, I observed the healthcare system of Guatemala first-hand and gained insight into how limitations of staff, education, and resources affect this system. I volunteered at the Clínica Periférica La Bethania for five weeks, twenty five hours a week, assisting the doctors and nurses with a variety of tasks: restocking medical supplies, observing consultations, administering oral vaccines and vitamins, and collecting basic patient information like temperature, blood pressure, weight, and height. In the afternoons, I participated in Spanish language classes and cultural activities both in the CCS home base and around the city. The weekends provided opportunities for independent sightseeing and traveling around the country, enhancing the cultural experience. Cross-Cultural Solutions aims to build “long term professional friendships/relationships outside of the local community,” and I believe this is exactly what was achieved through my internship. The three core values of CCS—respect, integrity, shared humanity—still resonate with me, especially the last one, shared humanity. Realizing my innate connection to the rest of the human race, regardless of differences in language or customs, and my obligation to contribute to my global community has deeply shaped the vision for my future life and career. <br />This enrichment project was concentrated on exploration; I had hoped to develop not only a real sense of what it means to be a medical professional, but also an idea of what kind of person I want to become in the next three years. This idea has shaped and narrowed my interest in medicine. My enrichment project in Guatemala also helped to shape my vision for the next two summers. One part of the health internship through CCS was a culminating presentation about a research topic of my choice. During my volunteer experience, I learned that infant and child mortality were much higher in Guatemala than in the United States. In fact, Guatemala has one of the highest child mortality rates in the Western Hemisphere; it was because of this appalling statistic that I decided to present on the topic of infant and child mortality. The most intriguing aspect of this topic was that the top causes of child mortality were diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition, three very treatable and preventable illnesses. This led to the formation of a personal vision: a world where basic healthcare is universally accessible to children. Over the next three years, as outlined by my “breakthrough blueprint” created at LeaderShape, my goal is to establish a free, sustainable health center in Kentucky in order to promote healthcare for infants and children in a high-risk area. The ultimate goal is to spread this program internationally, sponsored by larger organizations and companies. While I may consider continuing my exploration of the medical field for future enrichment projects, I fully intend to pursue the vision stated above. <br />