CrossLoop “Everyone Helps” Scholarship Recipient: Sonia von Haslingen
Noted on January 19, 2009 by Natanya in
Sonia von Haslingen received the CrossLoop "Everyone Helps" scholarship for winter term 2009. Get to know her and then tune in for updates from her internship in Mexico.
My name is Sonia von Haslingen and I am 23 years old. My passion for medicine and foreign cultures started when I was very young, while watching the news coverage of the aftermath of the Ethiopian famine. It was then that I decided I wanted to become a travelling doctor. In college, I decided to continue the Spanish studies I had started in high school while also taking the pre-requisites for medical school. In the spring of 2008, I will graduate with a double major in Spanish and General Science. However, my education will not be complete until I have taken what I’ve learned in the classroom and applied it to real-life situations in Mexico.
The love I have for the Mexican people as well as the hospital environment has made me an ideal candidate for this internship in the IMSS Hospital in Morelia, Mexico. The warmth of the people of Mexico shows they truly are de buena onda, or good people. In my opinion, to be surrounded by this culture that celebrates life so vibrantly is the opportunity of a lifetime. In my free time, I plan to dance frequently and eat as many Huevos Rancheros as possible!
I am eagerly looking forward to experiencing southern Mexico firsthand (I have only travelled in the northern regions) as well as learning how medicine is practiced outside of the US. I anticipate seeing multiple of births, serious traumas, and tropical diseases. The opportunity to volunteer with MESE, an organization that works to support under-privileged children, in the afternoons will be challenging but rewarding. The richness of living this life in Mexico for three months will surely change me. I know that upon my return home, I will be older, wiser, and more compassionate. This broadening of my horizons will only serve to take me one step closer to my dreams of effectively practicing medicine abroad full-time.