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Back to News Mount Leaders in Service Travel to Guatemala

Mount Leaders in Service Travel to Guatemala

11/4/2015

Mount Saint Vincent students—who are known on campus as Leaders in Service—continually travel globally to further enrich the learning experiences available outside the classroom. They put their knowledge and skills to good use to help others as citizens of the world, following the model of Elizabeth Ann Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity and the first American-born saint.

Come January, five senior nursing students—Hersy Contreras, Briggette Parra, Kathryn Dalton, Emily Petrillo, and Catherine Reiss—will travel to one of the four clinics created by the Sisters of Charity in the Sololá region of Guatemala to respond to the needs of women and children, and to learn the history of the Guatemalan people and their current medical needs. The students will work closely with professional nurses, including nursing alumna Maria Petriccione Reiss ’90, Catherine Reiss’ mother. The students will also be guided by Sr. Ceil Harriendorf, S.C. and Dr. Jose Miguel, who is an Associate of Charity and works in the four clinics assisted by medical students from the University of Guatemala City.

“We’re going to give back to the community,” says Ms. Contreras, who serves as president of the Class of 2016 and is actively involved with Campus Ministry. “Everyone who has gone on the trip before me has said it’s a life-changing experience. We all have different reasons for why we want to go, but the common thread is that we all want to give back.”

The Sisters of Charity have been serving in Guatemala for more than four decades, and since 2011 Mount nursing students have been embarking on the service-learning trip. Additionally, since 2013 the Office of Alumnae/i Relations and Giving has also been involved, and has since sent over a dozen professional nursing alumnae to assist at the clinics.

Starting their freshman year, Mount students hear tales from seniors, and as juniors they are yearning to take advantage of the opportunity. Senior students who are interested learn about the trip and its history from the Office of Campus Ministry, and present them with their reasons for going.

“As nursing students, we don’t have many opportunities to go abroad, so this is really a very special experience for us,” Ms. Contreras says.

The Mount’s Leaders in Service are also advocates for their cause. This Thursday, November 5, Guatemala trip participants, the Class of 2016, Make a Difference (M.A.D.), and the Student Nursing Association (S.N.A.), will be hosting a fundraiser for the Guatemala trip in Smith Hall. From 4 to 6 p.m., they will inform students and other members of the Mount community about the opportunity, while also raising awareness for the global concern of health care in developing countries.

“It’s something everyone at the Mount should know about, because they may also be interested in serving abroad and helping out those who don’t have the same access [to health care] as we do,” Ms. Contreras says.

During the trip, students will reflect on their experiences and on the mission of the College. Four out of the six days, the students will complete their clinical experience, including running basic vitals and working with expecting mothers and young children. The students will also travel to the Barbara Ford Peace Center in Quiche, run by Sr. Virginia Searing, S.C. There, they will learn about the work done at the Center and how it empowers local indigenous Mayans.

“I am a novice nurse,” Ms. Contreras reveals. “Though I haven’t graduated yet, I am ready to apply the nursing skills I have acquired from my training. I am grateful for the opportunity, and I hope that I can help someone in need.”