“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” -Pat Conroy
About Me
The Basics: Brianna Muller from Denver, Senior Pre-Med/Anthropology major
The Experience: Through Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns and their International Summer Service Learning Program (ISSLP), I was able to spend 8 weeks in the summer of 2009 in Antigua, Guatemala, working and learning at Familias de Esperanza (also known as Common Hope). The ISSLP was the ideal opportunity to integrate some of my passions: human development, global health, poverty, and other cultures. I worked in the clinic, but spent much of my time in the small villages in which Familias de Esperanza worked. I assisted the Community Health Director with health fairs and educational meetings for many people who did not have access to health information otherwise. I also accompanied social workers on their home visits to affiliated families, enabling me to hear the trials and tribulations, along with the joys, of these families.
The Future: The summer helped me to discern my vocation. I realized that I would like to attend medical school and become a doctor and that I want to work primarily with underserved populations, domestically and abroad. However, some of the challenges of these goals also became apparent, primarily the importance of having community members as leaders, rather than international volunteers. Because of this, I am continuing to reflect on what my role should be as a “foreigner”. In the immediate future, I would like to do some sort of service for a non-profit or NGO, working in health or social services.
Please contact me with comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, or all of the above!
