DIII Week Feature: Wellesley Student-Athletes Volunteer in Nicaragua
This winter, cross country/track & field student-athlete Sophie Dolan '20 and volleyball student-athlete Meghan Shoop '20 joined a group of Wellesley students as volunteers for Wellesley Global Medical Brigades, traveling to Nicaragua for nine days as part of the Wellesley chapter of the non-profit global health and sustainable development organization that also has chapters at many colleges and universities worldwide. For Shoop the experience was her second trip, while it was the first for Dolan. On the trip, Dolan and Shoop set-up a medical/dental clinic that will offer basic health care and health education sessions to rural regions. They also volunteered alongside local health care providers.
This winter, cross country/track & field student-athlete Sophie Dolan '20 (pictured, left) and volleyball student-athlete Meghan Shoop '20 joined a group of Wellesley students as volunteers for Wellesley Global Medical Brigades (WGMB), traveling to Nicaragua for nine days as part of the Wellesley chapter of the non-profit global health and sustainable development organization that also has chapters at many colleges and universities worldwide. They shared their thoughts on the experience and what they learned through taking part in the service trip to Nicaragua.
Meghan Shoop (right): "As a first year, I wanted to try something outside of my comfort zone, so I decided to look into the Nicaragua brigade. After hearing about all of the amazing things that we would do on the brigade, such as giving people free medical care and building bathrooms, I knew right away that I wanted to go."
Sophie Dolan (right): "I am a Spanish major completing my pre-med requirements to apply to medical school and was excited when I learned about the Medical Brigade because it provides an opportunity to combine both of my areas of study into one trip. I was excited to use my Spanish skills and combine them with the medical field and gain an opportunity to help the community of Hosta Del Ray."
Meghan Shoop (middle, pink shirt): "I had another amazing experience on the GMB Brigade in Nicaragua this year. I learned how to be patient and resilient in the face of challenges, such as organizing the clinic days and making sure everybody on the trip was getting the most out of the experience. I expected this trip to be similar to my first trip, but I believe that this year's trip was even better."
Sophie Dolan (left, navy shirt): "The entire brigade was surreal, from the moment we arrived in Managua to our last day as we packed everything up to head home. We spent an amazing three days working in a medical clinic in the small rural community of Samulali. I learned so much from the three Nicaraguan doctors that I got to work and speak with. I learned even more from the children, families and community members that I got the chance to work with."
Meghan Shoop: "I truly enjoyed my experience on the brigade last year. I made so many important friends, and learned so much from the people of Nicaragua. I was looking forward to going on the brigade once again this year, especially because I would help lead it."
Sophie Dolan: "I would love to get involved in the future with Global Medical Brigades and help in Honduras, Panama and Ghana. I would be especially interested in going to Ghana because I have never been to Africa and would love the opportunity to learn about the country of Ghana and the communities there while providing help wherever I?m needed."
Meghan Shoop: "I will always remember all of the truly amazing people that I met and worked with in Nicaragua. It was a grueling nine days filled with clinic days, building a channel for water pipes, and building a sanitation station, but I loved it all the same."
Sophie Dolan: "The idea of simplicity and openness really stuck with me after the trip. It is so important to be open to a new culture, place, language and people. I enjoyed speaking with the families and individuals, learning about their stories and the things that are important to them and that make them unique. I hope to take the openness that everyone granted me while I was there and apply it to my life at Wellesley and in the States, you don't know much about a person or their personal experience until you take the time to listen and learn from them."
Meghan Shoop: "I am definitely interested in going on a brigade in one of the other countries that GMB serves. I would love to go to Ghana or Panama for our Winter 2019 brigade."
Sophie Dolan: "Overall, the brigade was so rewarding and at the end of the nine days I wished we could stay for another week. I was surprised to learn so much from the community members and from the leaders of our brigade."
Meghan Shoop: "I have always enjoyed helping people, and even though I am not interested in pursuing a career in medicine, I wanted to branch out and help these people in any way that I could. Also, I wanted to go on the trip to gain more experience in International traveling, since I am an International Relations-Political Science major."
Sophie Dolan: "We spent two days with a family in a different community outside of Jinotega construction a sanitation statin which included a shower, a place to wash clothes and a toilet. Our last day of work was the water project where we worked alongside many other college student volunteers to dig a trench that would help the community obtain clean drinking water."
