Atlantis Medical Fellowship
Hi! My name is Taylor Ritchot. First of all, thank you so much for taking time to check out my go fund me page, I really appreciate it!
Why am I reaching out to you and how'd I get myself into this?
The reason I am reaching out to you is because I've received an incredible opportunity for this upcoming summer! A couple of weeks ago I came across an add online for a fellowship opportunity with a company by the name of Atlantis. This fellowship was for high school students who are interested in going into the medical field, and who are also interested in traveling abroad. After doing a ton of research I became very interested and thought I'd apply just for fun. A couple days later I received an email congratulating me for passing the first part of the application and that the next step would be to have a video interview with one of the Atlantis administrators. The following week I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with a lady by the name of Elizabeth. Elizabeth was very helpful and was very patient with me while she worked with me through the interview. She even helped me select my location! At the end of the call she congratulated me on getting into the fellowship and then passed me over to my trip coordinator.
What is the fellowship?
This fellowship gives high school students the incredible opportunity to travel abroad for three weeks to a country of their choice. My specific program will take place in Cuenca, Ecuador. I leave on June 23rd, and my fellowship will begin the following day. I chose this location because Spanish is a language that I hold very close to my heart. I have been speaking Spanish ever since I was in kindergarten, but I've always wanted to test my skills in a real Spanish speaking country. Not only does this fellowship give high school students the opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures and learn different languages, but it also gives them the opportunity to really experience the medical field. Over the course of three weeks I will be in the hospital for 20+ hours a week, working with a different specialty each week. Throughout these three weeks I get to witness the process from diagnoses to post operation. Which means I will be in the operating room witnessing surgeries with my own two eyes! Another thing that I am very excited about is that I will have the opportunity to tutor physicians and patients in English! On the days we aren't at the hospital, we get to go and explore what our location has to offer; trying new foods, meeting natives, going hiking, and really just having a ton fun!
Why did I choose to apply?
The reason I chose to apply for this fellowship is because it just seemed like such a good fit for me. As I explained earlier, I have a huge love for speaking Spanish and I know that this opportunity would strengthen my Spanish speaking abilities. That excites me because I've always wanted to practice my Spanish in a country where it's the primary language, and now I finally have the opportunity to do so! The second thing that really interested me about this fellowship is the fact that I get to follow around a bunch of different surgeons for three weeks! I've always had a passion for helping people, and that led me to become passionate about healthcare. My ultimate plan is to become an Orthopedic surgeon and specialize in sports medicine. I've been an athlete my entire life and I know what it's like to get hurt and not be able to compete, so I want to be able to help upcoming athletes get back to doing what they love most, just like my doctors have done for me! This fellowship gets me some experience under my belt so I can get an idea on what exactly I'm getting myself into. Not only that, but when I do end up applying for med school, this fellowship will set me apart form other applicants!
Now here is where I need your help!
Since I applied so late for the fellowship, the deadlines for the fees are coming up pretty quick. And being a high school student, there's no way I'll be able to pay for this on my own, so that's why I am reaching out to all of you!
The first deadline is on the 18th of May for $1810
The second deadline is two weeks before the starting date of my fellowship which is on the 9th of June and that is for $1810 as well
Those two costs come to a total of $3,620, however those costs do not include airfare. International airfare is quite expensive and after looking for the cheapest flights I could, I finally found a ticket to Ecuador for $927, and another $927 for a flight home. So airfare just alone adds up to an additional $1854. That puts my total at $5,470. And that's if I can get the tickets for that cheap.
Those costs also do not include most of the food while I am there, the only "free" meals I will get are complimentary breakfasts and some group dinners. However the estimated cost for food while I'm there will add up to be about another $600. That puts my total at $6070. The final $430 will be used for a variety of different things. One of the biggest things it could be used for is flights. In the event that I cannot find flights for that cheap again, that extra $430 will go towards airfare. If all works out with the airfare, the biggest thing it will be used for is transactions fees. Each time I take money out of my account from home, there will be a 2.9% transaction fee, which can add up to a lot of money very quickly. If there is any money that is not used, it will be treated as emergency money in case anything goes wrong.
Also know that this is not my only method of fundraising! I will be getting a part time job during the summer and will work as much as I possibly can. I also have a lot of other ideas that are still in the works, including a garage sale! So if you have anything around your house you are looking to get rid of, or you want to know more about my other fundraising methods, contact me!
I'm really excited about this opportunity and I believe that it will set a good foundation for my future of becoming an orthopedic surgeon! If you do decide to help fund me for this incredible experience, please know that you won't just be helping me go on a trip, you'll be helping me achieve my dreams by giving me the opportunity to practice my Spanish on a whole new level, and by giving me a step up on all of the competition so I can be a part of the next generation of physicians!
If you have any questions at all, or you just want to know more about me, I would love to talk to you! Thank you so much for checking out my go fund me page, and for your time and consideration!
