Going on a Loyola Global Medical Brigade helped further my education in the nursing profession. I decided to go on a Medical Brigade after seeing pictures of my friends on them and hearing about their life-changing experiences around the globe.

            During my time in Community Health Nursing, I learned a lot about working with patients who made me feel outside of my comfort zone. I worked with patients and families from different races, backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses who spoke different languages, had different customs, and looked on healthcare with varying degrees of uncertainty. During my week in Nicaragua with Global Brigades, I experienced much the same thing.  

            However, despite the difficulties, these two experiences have helped me to grow so much both personally and professionally. I have been able to better understand and even live out the Jesuit values of Loyola. I have expanded my knowledge of nursing, learned more about what the profession means to me, and even experienced it in a third-world setting. I have promoted justice on a global level, and hope to continue promoting it through attending more brigades in the future. And I have deepened my faith by seeing the world in a different light, and by realizing what God’s ultimate plan is for me.