Hello everyone! For those of you who do not know, I am a Pre-Medical Biology student at the University of Texas at Austin, and I have been loving it in Austin so far. One of the many great things about being a student at UT is that there are a multitude of incredible opportunities to take advantage of, one of which I am fortunate to partake in - I am excited to share that I have been accepted into the ECELA Spanish and Medicine Program 2019, where I will be studying Spanish and participating in medical shadowing in Santiago, Chile, for four weeks this summer! The mission of the program is to emphasize the need for Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals in the United States. Many of the 54 million Spanish speakers (and growing) living in America do not have adequeate healthcare due to provider and patient language barriers, and ECELA strives to combat this language gap. 

My time in Chile will be completely immersive, which will include Spanish language courses, staying with a host family, and partaking in several cultural excursions every week. Furthermore, and very excitingly, I will be shadowing doctors across a variety of specialties at local clinics and hospitals. 

I am so excited to embark on this experience to fulfill my dreams of both studying abroad and observing international medicine. With that being said, I will be initiating my fundrasing campaign with a gofundme. The total cost for the trip, which includes tuition, airfare, and living expenses, is about $4,500. If you feel compelled to donate,  the gofundme portal can be found below. Any amount or even share of this post helps, however simply your support is very appreciated! :) 

Thank you for taking the time to read, I love you all!

Karissa