a.  Fit Families for Life Volunteer- This semester, I am volunteering with Fit Families for Life. This is a nutrition, exercise and behavior modification program that is offered to children and families of those children who are at risk for diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. I help with the treatment which includes nutritional education, physical activity training, yoga and stress reduction, and behavioral modification strategies. I chose this program because heart disease is a common issue on my father’s side. This organization combines my drive to help people maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid these issues, my love for physical activity, and my desire to be a mentor.

b.  Stony Brook Hospital Volunteer- Volunteering at Stony Brook Hospital was the experience that planted the seed for my desire to be a physician. Immersing myself in the environment, I noticed the dynamics of every relationship; I saw the booming laughter of the doctor after a patient’s joke, I noticed the smile and caressing voice of the nurse, I witnessed firsthand the bittersweet moment of a family visiting their relative. I was hooked on this microcosm of emotions, feelings, and stethoscopes. Besides learning about the administrative side of the hospital, I also learned the great importance of bedside manner and creating a positive relationship with the patients. For example, one of my most memorable moments as a volunteer was helping an older patient finish his meal. The man had no appetite, so he had been struggling to finish his meals for the past week. One of the nurses asked me to help him finish his meal and just spend some time with him. I talked to him about his daughter and his job as an electrician, and I also told him about my own life and how much I liked college. We got so wrapped up in our conversation that I never even realized that he had wiped his plate clean. The nurse told me afterwards that she had never seen him finish his food like that. I was happy that I made a new friend that day and that I helped him become more relaxed in a foreign environment. Having my first successful encounter with an actual patient, I felt on top of the world.

Furthermore, one of the best things about volunteering is that it places me in the environment that will be my future. I can experience the joy and pain of the patients, the happiness and suffering of the families, and the delight and sadness of the doctors. This roller coaster ride of emotions is the primary atmosphere in all hospitals and even epitomizes what we face every day. What I want is that momentary peak where we are hanging in the air, that delight of helping someone, that satisfaction that I have done something good. Volunteering opened the door for me, but now it is up to me to go inside and see what I find.

c. Global Medical Brigadier- As a part of the Global Medical Brigades, I went to a medical clinic in Nicaragua this summer to volunteer there for a week. There were five stations in the clinic: triage, consultation, dental, OBGYN, and pharmacy. For the first half of the trip, we volunteered in the clinic while, for the second half, we joined the public health brigades and aided in building better sanitation facilities in the same area.