I was introduced to Youthlinc in 2017 when my older brother completed his service year in Guatemala. He returned from Santa Rosa II with a new perspective, a new sense of himself and I knew I had to experience this for myself. In June 2018, I had the opportunity to travel to Peru to learn from and serve the Santa Isabel community. Similar to my brother, I returned with my own new perspective and, even more important, a new purpose in life. After my service year with Youthlinc, including the international experience and my local work with FCYD Camp UTADA Diabetes Camp, the seed to my passion for serving others was planted.
I graduated from Ogden High School in 2019 with plans to attend the University of Utah Honor’s College. Upon first enrollment, I didn’t really have a plan for what I wanted with my future. I knew I wanted to help my community but I didn’t know how. Looking back on my Youthlinc trip, I remember my visit to Dr. Linnea J. Smith, MD., in her clinic. Dr. Smith is an American-trained physician running one of the only clinics on the side of the Amazon River. In our conversations, she exclaimed the importance of increasing healthcare access to those remote communities across the world. This. This is something I could be a part of. I enrolled as pre-medical student majoring in international studies with an emphasis in global health.
I graduated from the University of Utah in May 2023 with a goal to attend medical school. During my gap year, I decided to work with Youthlinc’s Real Life program, the peer mentoring program benefitting underserved students across the Salt Lake Valley. Although it has been years since my service trip, Youthlinc continues to emphasize the importance of local service while giving me the skills and tools to help those in my community. In years to come, I plan to earn my MD/MPH to further advocate for those underserved communities in the United States as well as increase health access and sustainability in global communities. In my 2018 presentation at the Ogden Rotary Club regarding my Youthlinc trip, I concluded, “Youthlinc’s mission is to create lifetime humanitarians, and I can say they succeeded with me,” and I think it’s safe to say that statement still holds true.
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