Peter Harrill, Jamil (translator), and Sam Agnew.

"On August 8, senior brother Peter Harrill and I returned to the U.S. after spending a week practicing medicine in Nicaragua, bettering impoverished communities and prescribing parasite treatment. We worked in a clinic with a team of doctors and medical training staff. To say it was the greatest experience I could be a part of is an understatement. The first week of August will potentially hit the journal as the greatest week of my life.

We would wake up bright and early at 6:30 am, eat a hearty breakfast of plantains, rice, and beans, and pile into a bus to take us to the clinic. Eager as when I opened my acceptance letter from UNC, our bus was always packed with enthusiasm and a determination to assist those without much more than an outfit of clothes.

Our team made expeditions across different parts of Granada, a city in Nicaragua with record low health care but people that illuminated our faces with joy. We dissected and diagnosed patients with a variety of health concerns, ranging from bacterial tonsilitis to malignant tumors under the axilla. 

My time spent in Granada and the capital, Managua was extremely touching. I would even describe it as life-changing. My stay will forever have an impact on me. 

Taking a break from the clinic, I also had the opportunity to "ashboard" down an active volcano during a violent downpour with lightning in full action during my visit. 

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