Volleyball players reflect on service trip to Nicaragua

Volleyball players reflect on service trip to Nicaragua

Albion College student-athletes continued to work on service projects even after many of their teammates and classmates returned home for the first week of the break between semesters.

Volleyball players Haven Hill and Mackenzie Moore were among the 40 students who traveled to Sonora, Nicaragua, as part of the Global Medical Brigades service trip from Dec. 9-15.

According to Morgan Leadbetter, '19, an exercise science major who organized the trip, the Albion group spent a day packaging medical supplies for the three-day clinic. During the clinic, students performed triage where medical history and vitals were taken, assisted dentists, shadowed doctors in consults, helped in the pharmacy, and held a children's charla while teaching proper oral hygiene. The last work day was focused on public health as the group mixed cement by hand to lay flooring for six homes in the community of La Corneta.

Hill and Moore were asked to submit their reflections for gobrits.com.

Hill, a sophomore from Traverse City, Mich., is majoring in exercise science with a double minor in sociology and psychology.

"This experience was important to me because we were able to give people access to healthcare opportunities and learn more about the medical field by shadowing doctors, dentists, and pharmacists.

"Parts of this experience that had the most impact on me were when this trip made me realize how fortunate we are in the United States when it comes to our access to healthcare. Even though I knew it was going to be a different culture and had been prepped on what to expect, it was completely different being there in person.

"What I can take away from this trip is to never take anything for granted. This experience in a developing country made me even more grateful for everything that I have and have access to back home. The people in Nicaragua live a very simplistic life but were always humble and joyful. This trip also made me realize how important it is to give back to communities. It is such an empowering feeling knowing even the smallest things we did had such a positive impact on these people's lives by giving them access to healthcare. This trip added to my educational experience at Albion by reconfirming my decision to go into the healthcare field and helping those in need. I will forever be grateful for the perspective this trip has given me."

Moore, a sophomore from Quincy, Mich., is a member of the college's Institute for Healthcare Professions, Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program and is one of the volleyball representatives to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is majoring in biology and psychology.

"I set a personal goal my freshman year at Albion to become more cultured. During my time in Nicaragua, I was able to do just that while also helping people who don't have access to healthcare. The biggest impact this experience had on me was when I realized just how easy we have it in the United States. Here, the majority of people do not have to worry about not being able to get antibiotics for an infection, or having emergency responders arrive in an emergent situation. In Nicaragua, they have very few areas where healthcare can even be accessed, and in those few areas, they often don't even have the medicine for treatment. The perspective this trip was able to provide me is something I will always remember and hold close to my heart."

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