nt used his summer to explore a career path working in medicine in a developing nation.
About this time of year, readers might be used to hearing about Sam Brown, Grade 12 student at DVSS, taking on a marathon or a triathlon. This summer he just returned home from Bolivia after spending two weeks there seeing doctors in action and learning more about the county’s culture and medical system.
The educational and volunteer program was through Projects Abroad. He was part of an international team of eight youth. They were based in the city of Cochabamba.
“It was a special medical program for high school kids my age. We lived in a house together with a host family,” said Brown.
“We went to a lot of places. We did workshops in the offices of Projects Abroad, we spent time at a hospital, and then another for children burn victims,” he said.
It was a powerful experience for him to work with some of the young burn victims, assisting with their treatment. At the main hospital, they were able to observe the operating room, which he found fascinating.
“I learned a lot about medicine and alternative medicine because they don’t have nearly as many medical materials as we do here,” he said. “I gained an appreciation of how systems work in a hospital and how complicated it can be. In addition, we learned about Bolivian Culture. It was a trip where we still had fun, but at the same time it had great education and volunteer value.”
He worked all year raising the funds needed for this excursion and learned about Projects Abroad on the Internet.
“I have always wanted to work with Doctors Without Borders, or some sort of organization that have doctors like the United Nations or Red Cross,” he said. “This experience was a lot like that because it was in a developing country.”
Sam plans to study medicine after he finishes high school.
