Medical Mission Trip in Nicaragua

View what the trip will entail ^
Achieving my nursing assistant license through the STL Internship Program ^Presenting my valedictorian speech at graduation ^
4.3 GPA
ME AT MU! ^

She can do all things through Christ which strengthen her. She is a foster care child turned high school valedictorian with limitless bounds and a heart of pure gold that functions solely to help her serve others in dire need. She is passionate, driven, and self-motivated. As Beyonce would say “I dream it, I work hard, I grind till I own it” which she exhibits consistently in the pursuit of her aspirations. This girl on fire will stop at nothing to achieve her goals which will become her reality and now she is ready to take on the world. That girl is me, Tristian Gassoway.


As you may know, I am a freshman at the University of Missouri, working towards a career in nursing as a Pediatric Travel Nurse Practitioner. June 11th, 2017 at my university’s summer welcome, I came across an incredible opportunity to travel across the country to Nicaragua in January 2018. to help people in need of healthcare services through an organization called Global Medical Training. Global Medical Training is an International Humanitarian non-profit organization that provides free healthcare and medicine to underprivileged and underserved communities in Central America. This organization seeks to empower students with knowledge and awareness of the humanitarian need that exists in the world today. The organization expands the student's understanding of medicine and culture outside the United States and seeks to diffuse knowledge to countries like Nicaragua.

I am very blessed and proud to say that I have been personally selected to go on a life-changing trip to Nicaragua this winter break! This is a nine day trip in which I will be performing clinics as if I were a real nurse already. During those clinics, I will be participating in hands on diagnosis and treatment under the supervision of medical professionals to the citizens of Nicaragua who are in desperate need of care. This trip will allow me experience and insight into my future career field and prepare me for what’s in store, and I am very excited to be apart of it.

Some facts about Nicaragua is that it is the poorest country in Central America and is the second poorest in the Hemisphere. 48% of the population live under the poverty line and 79.9% live on less than $2 per day. Lastly, 22% of the children suffer from malnutrition.

These facts are heartbreaking to me and I am grateful that I get the opportunity to have a positive influence on their lives.

I am seeking $2,500 from generous donors to help me cover the cost of round trip airfare, lodging, registration fees, medical equipment, scrubs, transportation, excursion, and food cost.

We plan to depart January 3, 2018 and return January 11, 2018!

Thank you for taking your time to read this and help me change the world one step at a time.