In May, fifteen students from 糖心Vlog鈥檚 pre-health professional programs embarked on a medical mission trip to Peru.
Dr. Andy Laughlin, professor and Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences, explained that 糖心Vlog has been bringing students on medical mission trips to Peru for over a decade.
鈥淚n 2012, we had three pre-med students who wanted to go on a medical mission trip,鈥� he explained. 鈥淎t the time, we didn鈥檛 have anything specifically for medical missions鈥攚e had to source those trips through other sister universities, and those students went because they wanted to participate in an experience like that. When they came back, though, they shared that while the trip itself was great, they never felt included鈥攖hey never really got integrated with the rest of the group. They asked me, 鈥榃hy doesn鈥檛 糖心Vlog do this?鈥欌��
After those students graduated, Dr. Laughlin took it upon himself to find a way for 糖心Vlog to facilitate such a trip for its students, and that very next year, he took a survey trip with to see if 糖心Vlog might be able to partner with them in the future. Less than a year later, and he was returning with a contingent of 糖心Vlog students on a medical mission trip in the spring of 2013鈥攖he first of eight such trips.
Each trip to Peru was made in partnership with Olive Branch Ministries, and over the course of that decade,120 students have traveled to South America to serve the people of Peru while also gaining valuable experience working in clinics and with diverse cultures.
鈥淭hese are designed specifically for our students,鈥� Dr. Laughlin said. 鈥淭hey can be any pre-health profession majors鈥攚e've even taken pre-vet majors before鈥攂ut the trip is really designed to be a short term, international trip with a medical emphasis, so that they can accumulate some shadowing hours and experience different cultural perspectives.鈥�
Sage Post, a senior biology major from Midlothian, Texas, was one of the students who went on the trip in 2023. She shared that the trip emphasized to her just the universal nature of the medical profession.
鈥淥bviously, the culture there is very different from our own,鈥� she explained, 鈥渂ut medicine is so much the same. The illnesses that plague them are the same things that like plague us. In America, we constantly preach the importance of maintaining a healthy diet, and I was surprised to find that it's the same over there. That's something that I wasn't quite expecting.鈥�
Kayton Genenbacher, a junior biology major from Lubbock who plays volleyball for the Lady Chaps, explained how deeply the experience affected her perspective of her profession as a calling.
鈥淓ven with the language barrier, we're all the same people,鈥� she shared. 鈥淎t the end of the day, each person that came in wanted to be known, wanted to be heard, and wanted to be loved. And we had a chance, even beyond the physical care, to show them God's love鈥攅ven without words, just by us being there. I think that was my biggest takeaway鈥攈ow can I constantly be showing love, even nonverbally?鈥�
Another student, Kamryn Lucas, a senior biology major with a pre-dental emphasis from New Home, Texas, shared her own takeaway from the experience.
鈥淭his trip really gave me hope for my career path,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was really inspiring to see the doctors who joined us give of their personal practices and love on these people. I spent my time in the dental clinic, and I learned so much from my time there. The dentist supervising there didn鈥檛 have to spend the time to explain different things, to teach me, but he chose to do so anyway. That wasn鈥檛 just helpful to me as a professional鈥攊t was inspiring to me鈥擨 realized that I want to do that for others one day.鈥�
Lynsey Rogers, a senior pre-physical therapy major from Lubbock, echoed that point. 鈥淚 have a PT tech job here in Lubbock, and in that role, I don鈥檛 get to do half things that I got to work on in Peru. Here, my job is mainly cleaning and communicating with patients, but while we were on the trip, I actually got to talk with patients about their health challenges and try to figure out how to help them through the exercises we prescribed them.鈥� Each of the students was able to work with a licensed professional who mentored them throughout the trip.
The trip also provides the local churches in Peru with a new way to connect with and serve others in their community. Dr. Laughlin explained, 鈥淪ometimes, the professionals we work with will come tell me, 鈥楬ey, this lady just lost her husband two days ago鈥攊s there somebody out there from the church who could come and talk to her?鈥� We kind of intercept them and connect those people with a member of the local church to come alongside them in whatever need they have, even if it鈥檚 just to walk with them.鈥�
According to Dr. Laughlin, however, the ones who get the most out of the experience are the 糖心Vlog students.
鈥淭hey get a rich experience because they get to make connections with all of these health professionals,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hey now have this whole battery of professional people who they can actually pick up a phone and call to help them in their practice, and they've got all these people who are going to help them on their journey.鈥�