Every March, two dozen students pack their bags, don scrubs and head out for a service trip as part of Carnegie Mellon University's chapter of Global Medical Brigades (GMB). Over spring break this year, the group traveled to Pueblo Nuevo, Panama, to set up a medical clinic and work with Panamanian doctors to bring medical, dental and optical care to hundreds of underserved community members.
The journey was junior chemistry major Nelly Kowalewski's third trip with the team and her first trip as the education and co-vision chair for the group.
"The reason I keep coming back to Global Medical Brigades every year is because of the interactions I have with the community there. Language and cultural barriers, governments and borders, it melts away when you're there," she said.