10/23/2024
As a Kathwari Honors Student, Kathwari Honors Assistant, sophomore Nursing major, Psychology minor, and social media specialist extraordinaire, Andrea Mandujano wears many hats. Regardless of which hat she鈥檚 wearing, it鈥檚 guaranteed that she鈥檚 giving back to others and her community. This summer, in Costa Rica, she gave back through the Maxim贸 Nivel program, where she served as a volunteer at the Asociaci贸n Albergue de Rehabilitaci贸n al Alcoh贸lico Adulto Mayor Indigente (The Association for the Rehabilitation of Elderly Alcoholics).
As one of the only Spanish-speaking volunteers, she felt proud to provide a quality of care and communication that other volunteers weren鈥檛 able to give. Andrea described one such moment where she made a difference: 鈥淲hen I did a walk-through on my first day, this patient was sitting in his wheelchair crying. Site staff had told me that he was very depressed, and I could see the sadness in his eyes. While I was there, I made sure to take him on walks so he could easily talk to someone. We went on walks where he would tell me about his life before being in the facility. It really meant a lot to him, and I learned a lot too.鈥
Besides her volunteer work, Andrea immersed herself in Costa Rican culture. Andrea鈥檚 homestay was with her 鈥渉omestay mom,鈥 Marlene, who truly transformed her trip abroad. This trip was Andrea鈥檚 first time traveling outside of the U.S., so Marlene鈥檚 delicious traditional Costa Rican dishes and advice for what to experience really made her feel at home away from home. Another person who made a big difference on her trip was Nurse Rebecca at her volunteer placement. She gave Andrea endless advice and guidance on treating patients and mobilizing them: 鈥淣urse Rebecca and Marlene genuinely wanted to help and teach me, and I appreciated that.鈥
Andrea emphasizes how much of her transformative experiences at 吃瓜头条 were a direct result of her involvement in the Kathwari Honors Program. As a transfer student, she truly appreciates the resources and the community of the Honors Program where everyone, staff and students alike, truly want each other to succeed and have opportunities that students at other institutions don鈥檛 get to have. 鈥淏ecause of the generous funding from the Kathwari Family and Barden Fund, I was able to experience Costa Rica and learn about what clinical experience in a nursing home is like,鈥 Andrea explains, 鈥渁nd it also helped me better my Spanish medical terminology. I wouldn’t have been able to do these things without their generosity!鈥
