The following was written by Audrey Knoper, who is on the UGA Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country team. She is studying Regenerative Bioscience through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and had the opportunity to pursue an internship with VAW Global Health Alliance during the summer of 2024.
I was hesitant about applying when I first heard about the VAW Global Health Alliance summer internship in Peru. However, I realized that I would only have so many chances to study abroad during my undergraduate career, so I took the chance. Now I am beyond happy that I did; my time in Peru was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.
After I decided to be a part of the program, I quickly jumped into preparing for our trip with 24 other interns. We discussed topics such as taking vitals, how to help patients, learning the language, trip logistics, etc. I also helped serve as the education day co-chair where we created a lesson on mental health for the children in Peru. After about two semesters of preparing, we were ready to go to Peru!
We landed in Cusco, Peru, where we stayed with host families. Living with a host family gave me the chance to stay with other interns, bond with the host family, learn more about Peruvian culture, and try their cooking. On our first day we got time to explore the city. I loved seeing the different parts of Peru’s culture such as the vibrant colors, beautiful backroads, and impressive architecture.
Over the next approximately eight days we spent most of our time preparing for education day, leading education day, preparing for clinic, and creating clinic. Education day was one of my favorite experiences, as we got to bond with the kids, even with a language barrier.
Clinic days were the most meaningful to me because we got the chance to help ~600 patients get access to medical care. During clinic, I rotated through intake, vitals, shadowing, pharmacy, and management positions. I valued each position for different reasons: in intake I interacted with patients to check them into the clinic, in vitals I learned essential medical skills such as taking blood pressure, in shadowing I listened, learned, and helped diagnose with excellent Peruvian doctors, in pharmacy I learned about the different medications and help distribute them, and in management I helped ensure the clinic was running smoothly. Clinic helped reaffirm my decision to pursue a career in medicine as I loved helping patients and performing the tasks of each station.
On the days that we weren’t helping patients, we further explored Peru. We went to famous Peruvian landmarks such as the Salt Mines, Rainbow Mountain, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. I feel blessed to have been able to see each place, especially Machu Picchu. We also did other activities such as ATVing through the countryside and ziplining between mountains. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling to each spot with my team. These experiences accumulated into memories I will smile back on for years to come.
I am beyond grateful to the Georgia Way for helping fund my experience in Peru. I couldn’t think of a better way to get valuable medical experience and explore a new culture than as a VAW Global Health Alliance intern. My two weeks in Peru gave me an appreciation for different cultures, passion for expanding access to medical care, love for exploring, and 24 new best friends. Thank you, Peru!
