Med4You, the nonprofit founded by UMHS med student Ariana Hernandez, continues giving back to the community, whether it is in St. Kitts or Puerto Rico.
The organization made a commitment upon its inception to make regular visits to the St. Christopher Children’s Home in St. Kitts “in order to educate them about medicine and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.” The home provides a safe, nurturing environment for orphans and neglected or abandoned children.
The UMHS Endeavour caught up with Ms. Hernandez, a Basic Science student at UMHS, about Med4You’s visit to the St. Christopher Children’s Home on Saturday, November 11, 2017.
“This time it was a really special experience,” Ms. Hernandez said. “The feedback of the children after I gave them the health class was amazing. I focus on making them feel special and to think about what makes them happy, their dreams and passions. After I gave them an overview of what health is talking about good eating, physical activity, hygiene, mental health etc., I inspire them to think that they are here for a purpose and that each one of them could be a successful professional if they study and work hard for it.”
She said Med4You helps inspire the children to dream big and always value themselves as important individuals.
“It's really exciting seeing all of them, after they write down all the things, talking loud to me all their dreams, their talents, their happiness and reasons why they think they are special,” she said. “And it’s much more rewarding to me seeing them really happy, excited by the end of the experience and asking me to please come back again soon.”
For more information about Med4You, please visit https://www.med4you.co/
Visit the Med4You Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Med4YouOrg/
(Top photo) HELPING INSPIRE KIDS: UMHS Med4You members, including Ariana Hernandez (center), visited the St. Christopher Children’s Home on Saturday, November 11, 2017, teaching them about health & self-esteem. Photo: Med4You
About UMHS:
Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciences focuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, “personalized medical education,” and it’s what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. UMHS is challenging everything you thought you knew about Caribbean medical schools.
Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at UMHS and editor of the UMHS Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about UMHS students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and UMHS research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.
