Julian Maldonado

While being a pre-medical student can sometimes be difficult and can really push you to your limits. There is nothing more awarding. Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to be a doctor, being able to interact with patients, using state of the art equipment, and helping others better their health is something I want to do for the rest of my life. While being pre-med requires you to have numerous things on your resume; however, one of the pre-med experiences I recently was able to be a part of was a trip to Cusco, Peru. The reason why this trip was so memorable was because our team established day clinics in several rural cities in Peru such as Colcabamba, Chinchaypujio, and others. Being able to interact with the locals of the communities was an experience like no other. The locals there spoke a dialect of Spanish called “Quechua” which is not very similar to Spanish which is what I speak. I learned the basis of the language and was able to communicate with the people which made the trip unlike any other. Many of the people had not seen a doctor in decades so they were very appreciative of us being there, and seeing their gratitude made me realize that I want to become a doctor in a rural area like the ones we went to. And as you can tell by the image, playing with some of the stray dogs put the cherry on top for the trip.