Hello friends and family! This winter, I will be traveling to Cusco, Peru as part of the Medical Outreach Chapter of Volunteers Around the World (VAW). VAW was founded in 2006 with the goal to bring medical help to poverty stricken communities across the globe. As part of this trip, I will be shadowing doctors, taking patient histories and symptoms (in Spanish!), measuring vitals, and gaining valuable experience working in the medical field. In addition to that, this trip is providing a once in a lifetime opportunity to truly make an impact on the world through educating impoverished communities about the importance of health care and providing help where it is seriously needed. I am so incredibly excited and thankful for this opportunity, and now am taking on the task of fundraising for all of the costs of this trip. I will be in Peru from January 1-14, so the trip is coming up rather soon! The costs included in the fundraising include medical supplies, scrubs, airfare, housing, daily transportation to/from the clinic, and food. So it is here that I come to you all to ask for your support on my mission to embody Virginia Tech’s motto of “Ut Prosim” on this unique and exciting journey. Any donations or well wishes in general would be greatly appreciated, and I would absolutely love to answer any questions anyone might have about what VAW is all about! Thank you all so very much for reading, and please feel free to share with friends and family!