Final Reflection

Not many can say they got to volunteer in a daycare, intern at a children's hospital, travel to Belize for two weeks, and intern at one of the best trauma centers in the United States, all in four weeks. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have learned more life lessons this month than in all of my eighteen years. I have experienced countless wake up calls in the past four weeks and I can truly say this experience has changed my life. It taught me so much about myself, and I feel that it prepared me in so many ways for college next year. I thought that four weeks ago I had an idea of how lucky I was, but the truth is I had no clue how fortunate I am.

I feel so lucky to have been able to travel to Belize and to have met the people that we did in Liberty Children's Home. It made me realize that sometimes in life what may seem like a small problem for me can be someone else's greatest challenge. Every day since I returned from Belize I just feel so lucky in all aspects of my life. I learned that I absolutely love young children and they give me so much joy, but I do not see myself teaching them in the future. I will never forget the memories and friendships I made with the children and staff at Liberty Children's Home because they taught me more than I ever anticipated.

Going into the medical portions of our project I thought that I could see myself doing something in the medical field. After experiencing these two internships with pediatric oncology and trauma surgery, I will say that I do not see myself following this career path. Both internships were eye opening, devastating, emotional, and shocking in every way.

Overall, I met the goal of my senior project. I answered my own questions of exploring these two professional paths. I have so much respect for teachers of young children (and children of all ages) and anyone in the medical field. I met some amazing people, had unforgettable memories, and learned more about myself than I ever have. This experience has made me a better person and it will stay with me for the rest of my life. I am forever grateful that I got to do a senior project and it most definitely lived up to the title of my blog because I truly had "An Adventure of a Lifetime"!