by Annika Thiim

Before beginning my second year at UF, I sought out opportunities to get involved in the Gainesville community through a service-based organization. While I had found several organizations offering occasional community service events, I was hoping to find an organization that I could commit to for the coming three years. I was looking for an organization that I could grow within, as an aspiring physician hoping to become more aware of community issues and also as a leader. I am grateful to have joined the Pre-Health Scholars (PHS) program, because it has been exactly what I was searching for.

During my first semester being in PHS, I was in a service group with four students whom I had never met before; it was special to experience our shared passion for finding ways to help the community despite being newly acquainted. At our first meeting, my group bounced around several different ideas for our monthly projects: writing letters to hospice patients, baking desserts for dining hall staff, conducting campus cleanups, and playing with kids at the local daycare center. I appreciated the independence to choose our own focus for community service. My favorite service project from Fall 2022 was visiting the kids at Baby Gator Daycare during Thanksgiving time, where we sat down with the kids to color turkeys on Thanksgiving-themed coloring sheets. Although this was a simple activity, seeing the joy in their eyes while getting to be creative and make new friends was heart-warming; I ended up returning to Baby Gator a few different times because this was such a special experience.

The following semester, my group took a different and more laborious approach to our service projects: we used two of our monthly meetings to construct outdoor sheds at the Helping Hands Medical Clinic that are now used to house medications, medical supplies, and other necessary materials. The construction of these sheds required teamwork as we all took on different roles to maneuver the walls and roof together while screwing them together with a power drill. I enjoyed this collaborative effort and found it very satisfying to see a tangible representation of our hard work.

All in all, the freedom granted by PHS to choose service projects that aligned with my passions has been invaluable. Moreover, the program's inclusivity impressed me, fostering a belief that no limit exists on the amount of good we can do for our community. As an aspiring physician, I've always found fulfillment in helping others with health-related issues. However, PHS has reminded me that this sense of fulfillment extends beyond medicine; it's found in providing service for non-health-related issues as well. Any act of service, no matter how simple, can create profound connections and joy.

by Henry B. Valdivia

I am currently writing this from Bangkok where I am having the opportunity of a life time, which would not have been possible without the Beyond120 Pre-Health Scholar Program.

I am a sophomore biology major in the Beyond120 Pre-Health Scholar program graduating 2026 following a pre-professional path.  The Beyond120 program is a professional development program that interested me because both the course work and experiential learning opportunities go beyond the ‘classroom experience’ and teach real world introduction to the process of the medical profession.  This program encouraged me to go beyond the classroom, which is how I find myself in Bangkok this summer.

My journey to Thailand began in the Fall of 2022 when I received an email from Ms. Knickerbocker regarding the Equal Access Clinic Network.  The EACN is a UF Medical School run program which assists the local community in Gainesville and has on-going medical research programs.  I applied and was accepted to work as a research assistant working with the Mobile ECG study at one of the clinics. This has been an invaluable experience working with the local community in Gainesville and an opportunity I would not have found without the continual updates from PHS and its mission to keep students informed on potential research opportunities.

 Working at the Equal Access Clinic Network actually opened my eyes to the prospects of helping other communities, which led to me finding the UF in Thailand Program. PHS has a mission to help students learn beyond the hard sciences and get insight into how people of other cultures experience health care.  The program stresses the need for patient centered, well rounded pre-professional students and that is exactly what led me to look for my summer internship in Thailand.

I am currently working at Thammasat University Hospital volunteering full time, rotating between transfusional medicine, physical therapy, radiology and preventative and corrective medical device maintenance, while immersing myself in a culturally unique healthcare system.  I am having the opportunity to learn from and work with Thai professionals which is helping me grow as a future medical student, using teamwork and collaboration, while recognizing and appreciating the differences in cultures and how I can learn from a different perspective. The Beyond120 PHS program helped make this opportunity a reality by awarding me a scholarship to help pay the expenses of this trip.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon working with a group of Buddhist Monks who came into Thammasat University Hospital to give blood.  Without the PHS program I would never have had the opportunity for this experience and the ability to expand my understanding of global diversity in health care.