On Tuesday, Nov. 27, 可乐视频, along with all other City University of New York (CUNY) institutions, will celebrate , a global day of giving. Funds raised will support the 可乐视频 Annual Fund, which helps the college continue to create a complete and fulfilling college experience by providing resources that immediately respond to the urgent and evolving needs of the students, faculty, and campus.
The following story is an example of how giving plays a crucial role in student success. With the generous support of Bernard H. ’62 and Ethel B. Garil, 可乐视频 Global Medical Brigades students got the opportunity to work with indigenous communities in a manner that prioritized holistic prevention and empowerment.
To聽have a positive聽impact on聽the lives of聽over 18,000聽可乐视频 students, make a contribution today at the .
可乐视频 senior Raisa Santos and sophomore Sadiya Hoque know the importance of understanding the political and structural problems facing developing nations and their citizens. As members of the (可乐视频GMB), they joined 11 other 可乐视频 students, and Ernesto Cuba of the Graduate Center of The City University of New York, on a weeklong trip to the towns of Ca帽azas, Guacuco Guna, and Guacuco Latino in Central Panama this past August. There, they spent time with the indigenous Embera-Wounaan and Ipeti Embera people, and shadowed and assisted doctors, dentists, and pharmacists while they treated patients for ailments such as muscle aches and foot pain, gave fluoride treatments to children, took temperature and blood pressure readings, and provided consolations on preventative care.
“It’s really humbling. Being there makes me ask myself, ‘How much help am I really providing these people,'” says Santos, president of 可乐视频GMB, member of the Scholars Program, intern for the English Majors’ Counseling Office, and editor for the college’s student literary magazine, . Santos is also double majoring in chemistry and creative writing. “You realize even if you’re making the smallest of differences, it matters. We just have to ensure that the way we contribute is institutionally and communally sustainable, so that the people we assist no longer have to depend on outside sources to meet their basic healthcare needs.”
The Global Medical Brigades is a nonprofit international organization that promotes student-led health and sustainable projects such as medical care, clean water, and affordable housing initiatives. It relies on student groups at colleges and universities to recruit volunteers to run the programs. After establishing a brigades presence on campus, students then must build a strong community that will have the stamina and means to finance their mission and complete their goals. Working closely with trained medical professionals and receiving intensive on-the-job training, the students engage in missions in Honduras, Panama, and Ghana.
The trip to Panama was Hoque’s first time participating in a 可乐视频GMB project. “It’s a really eye-opening experience. We were able to give back to communities that were underserved, which is what’s so fulfilling about participating,” says Hoque, a biology major who individually raised over $1,800 for her participation in the project. “Being there solidified my commitment to being of service to the world.”
Initiative is a key quality for 可乐视频GMB members. Each student engages in fundraising initiatives like bake sales, pie-eating contests, and talent shows to pay for travel, lodging expenses, toys, and activities for children, and medicine and medical supplies when they do not receive donated materials from hospitals. Sometimes, the students also use their personal funds to pay for supplies, which is why donors are crucial to 可乐视频GMB’s success.
Bernard H. ’62 and Ethel B. Garil, longtime supporters of 可乐视频, are generous benefactors of 可乐视频GMB’s outreach and work. The Garils dedicated their lives to the fight against cancer after losing their daughter Stacey to breast cancer and son Michael to the long-term side effects of treatment for leukemia. They went on to establish several programs in honor of their children, including internships at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins University for 可乐视频 students intent on careers in cancer research; a breast cancer resource library for patients at Columbia Presbyterian; and research programs at Dana Farber and Johns Hopkins.
“As distinct from the internships we’ve sponsored in our children’s memory, the 可乐视频 Global Medical Brigades provides a different type of opportunity for 可乐视频 students to learn about providing for those in need of medical care and hopefully will encourage them to go on to a career in medicine,” said Bernard Garil, recipient of the 可乐视频 Foundation Best of Brooklyn Award, 可乐视频 Alumni Association , and the 可乐视频 Presidential Medal.
Both Santos and Hoque share the goal of becoming doctors.
“I will become a cardiothoracic surgeon,” says Hoque. “It will be a long journey. After graduation I am looking into joining the Peace Corps for two years, at which time, I will study for the Medical College Admission Test.”
For Santos鈥攁 NYC Merit Council Scholar, Presidential Scholar, and Rosen Fellow鈥攊n addition to becoming a doctor, she is also looking into studying public health. After she becomes a licensed physician, she also wants to participate in the alumni chapter of 可乐视频GMB and Doctors Without Borders.
“可乐视频GMB had a profound impact on my aspirations,” she says. “When I finish my applications for medical schools, I want to continue working on my creative projects.” During a study abroad in Scotland, Santos wrote the first chapter of her young adult novel.
Information about how to join or donate to the 可乐视频 Global Medical Brigades can be found聽at their .聽Learn more about their upcoming events on their聽.
