Alumni Spotlight: Katie Kaplar

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Katie Kaplar volunteered in Belize from July 6-19, 2012. She is from Crown Point, IN but lives in Chicago, IL. Katie is 24 and currently a 3rd year medical student at Midwestern University.

Why did you decide to volunteer with ISL in Belize?

ISL was introduced to me by a student at my school who took a similar trip to Nicaragua the summer previously. After doing some research on summer abroad volunteer programs, I found that ISL was the best option for me. It was relatively inexpensive, had an available trip within the dates I wanted to travel and had great reviews when it came to safety and overall experience. The website (ISLonline.org) has so much information to help you in choosing a trip and planning you trip.

I chose Belize as my destination (one of the many places ISL does volunteer trip to) because I want to experience something new. I had previously studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark and traveled in Europe but I had never immersed myself in a country where most people, in American standards, are below poverty level. I heard Belize referred to as "the melting pot of Central America" and it is - with so many different cultures represented in such a small country. Another big selling point for me was that I didn't need to know a different language to be able to get around. Although many people in Belize speak Spanish and/or Creole, most speak English so I wasn't faced with much of a language barrier.

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Our main duty as volunteers was putting on clinics in 3 towns over the duration of 2 weeks. In setting up each clinic there were multiple steps. We would visit each town the day before putting on the clinic. On this day, we would walk to various houses to see if anyone in the house needed to see a doctor. If they did, we would give them a ticket with a specific time slot they could come to the clinic the next day. The clinics always took place the day after handing out the tickets. At the clinic we would interview the patients and perform do some physical exams if needed as well. The doctor would then come and speak with the patients and prescribe medications if necessary.

I did have down time when there wasn't a clinic going on that day. I got to go zip-lining and cave tubing one day. I also got to see 2 different sites of ancient Mayan ruins and temples. I also had time to walk around and explore San Ignacio, the town I was living in.

What made this volunteer experience unique and special?

I loved Belize so much because of the people. Even though I'm not a doctor and, as a first year medical student, I didn't know much about many diseases common to Belize, the people were still so happy to see me. Many were happy to share life stories with me even though our interactions were typically only 15-20 minutes.

I also really enjoyed the way ISL scheduled the end of our trip. We got to spend the last 2 days on an island called Caye Caulker, about an hour water taxi ride off of mainland Belize. Caye Caulker is so tiny that I was able to walk the width of the island in about a half hour. The water was turquoise and the views were amazing. Here I was able to snorkel with sting rays and nurse sharks and had barracuda as one of my meals. It was nice to end the trip on a relaxing note since my entire group had worked so hard the weeks prior.

How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?

The trip definitely made me interested in incorporating medicine for the underserved in my future as a physician. It also helped me in being better able to talk to and relate to people from all walks of life.