Students Share Their Experience from Dominican Republic Service Learning Trip
The Travel Unbounded student club and the Office of International Affairs held a hybrid event to unpack the Dominican Republic Service Learning Trip held this past summer . The CDU Student Travel Team , consisting of 13 student travelers , recalled the services they provided and the health concerns that were presented – and shared tips on how to navigate a trip abroad .
“ This trip solidified my passion for human health and reminded me of the importance of caring for the underserved ,” said Beverley Ochoa , Entry Level Master ’ s Program student . “ The greatest impact was recognizing the importance of interprofessional collaboration and compassion when providing care .”
CDU students traveled to the Dominican Republic to partner up with Light a Candle Foundation - Fundación Enciende Una Luz - to provide medical services to local communities in need .
“ I enjoyed learning about their culture and making new friends through CDU ’ s partnership with the Light A Candle Foundation ,” said Kimberly Uehisa , Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences student . “ Sharing our passion for serving the most vulnerable and underserved was empowering .”
Light A Candle Foundation is a Dominican non-profit organization dedicated to empowerment through health education , health promotion , and educational opportunities . Sandy Yanmeristal , Executive Director for Light A Candle Foundation , also joined the Zoom call to thank the students for their outstanding community work in the country ’ s municipality of La Romana .
“ I got the chance to meet the folks that work with Light A Candle and understand their stories and their background , understand that they ’ re working hard – just as much as we are here back home ,” said Amina Latif , Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences student .
Travel Unbounded is a student club that helps CDU students , faculty and staff be more excited about travel and feel more comfortable while traveling to a different part of the world .
“ We will bring you to different parts of the world where people will share their travel stories , share travel hacks ,” said Dr . Lejuene Lockett , Director of the Office of International Affairs . “ Our tag line for this university is ‘ Bring CDU to the world and the world to CDU .’ One way we are bringing the world to CDU is through Travel Unbounded .”