Academic Fellowship that Encourages Students to Explore Issues Rooted in Conflict Zones

Location:
Friday, January 1st, 2010

Details:

Students Crossing Boundaries Program,
An Academic Fellowship that Encourages Students to Explore Issues Rooted in Conflict Zones along International Border Areas,
Sponsors Brandeis University Student Interning at FEMAP Foundation


Students Crossing Boundaries Fellowship 2010, an academic fellowship sponsored by the Jimmy Carter Foundation and Brandeis University, encourages students to explore issues rooted in conflict zones along International Border regions.

This summer, Sarah Van Buren has joined the FEMAP Foundation team as an intern in order to learn more about working with and organizing a non-profit institution. A rising sophomore at Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts, Sarah is planning to major in Biochemistry and International Relations – a major that she hopes will take her down the path of global medicine as she aspires to become a doctor specializing in obstetrics. In addition to working in the FEMAP office in El Paso, Sarah will be volunteering for parts of the summer with the Promotoras initiative at the Hospital de la Familia in Ciudad Juárez in order to gain a better understanding of her intended profession. She hopes to prove a strong asset to the FEMAP Foundation during her time with the organization.

Q&A with Sarah Van Buren:
1. Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Tokyo, Japan - however due to my father's work with the Department of State I have moved every four years to different locations overseas. I have lived in cities such as Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, London in addition to the locations within the United States. My family currently lives in Washington D.C, while my father is stationed in Iraq.

2. Where and what are you studying?

At school, I am pursing a double major in Biochemistry and International & Global Studies. I have always dreamed about pursuing a career in medicine, with the hope of specializing as an OB/GYN. I hope to be able to devote my studies towards working with a non-profit organization, such as Doctors Without Borders - and therefore feel that these two majors strongly compliment my intended choice of career.

3. Why did you decide to come to El Paso? Why did you pick FEMAP to volunteer?

The region that Students Crossing Boundaries assigned me in order to pursue an in-depth study of border conflict was along the US-Mexico Border. El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juárez, MX, having had a long relationship as respective border cities, was recommended by the Fellowship to myself and the other fellows as the location to pursue our internships. I decided to intern with the FEMAP Foundation because it not only tied in closely with the kind of work I would like to do in the future; it also fit with the mindset and philosophy I hold in regards to healthcare and the distribution of it. I spoke with a student, Qiong Lin, who interned for FEMAP the previous summer who described to me the kind of work that the hospitals sponsored by FEMAP/SADEC carry out along the border. I further researched into past events and programs initiated by the FEMAP Foundation and was moved by the compassion of the doctors, nurses and volunteers who dedicate themselves to the organization. The informational video on the FEMAP Foundation website was what finally convinced me that this was organization I wanted to intern with this summer. The video begins with a quote from Mrs. De la Vega reading; "The work we do takes on relevance when people living in poor Mexican communities experience that magical moment of change from dependence to self-realization, from slavery to liberty, from apathy to hope." The concept of being able to change lives by changing the way people look at their lives, through the provision of both healthcare and neighborly compassion, is what made me choose to pursue an internship with FEMAP.

4. What are you hoping to learn from this experience?

Through my summer internship with FEMAP I hope to understand the inner workings of both a non-profit institution and a hospital. My internship allows me to observe both the philanthropic and administrative aspects of running a non-profit organization, both equally important mechanisms in order to smoothly run an institution as encompassing as FEMAP/SADEC. In addition, I hope to learn a great deal in working with the doctors, nurses and volunteers of FEMAP/SADEC, particularly in regards to promoting maternal and children's health.

5. What do you think about the weather and the people? Did you have any misconceptions?

No wonder El Paso is called the "Sun City," the weather here is unlike any I have ever experienced before! Although it is very, very hot, I am very grateful for the lack of humidity and fairly constant breeze. Hopefully, it won't get too much hotter! Prior to leaving Boston, the other fellows and I discussed some of our trepidations about going to El Paso and Juárez. Having heard so much about the violence that has erupted in Juárez, we were all concerned about the people we would be meeting and the general area we would be living in. However, we have come to find that the people of El Paso are some of the most friendly and helpful people we have ever encountered! Always willing to stop and help us with directions, translations or even just picking out which dish to order - all the people we have run into so far have been exceptionally kind to us three, obviously confused girls from the northeast.

6. Anything else you'd like to add?

The people of the FEMAP Foundation I have worked with so far have been exceptionally patient and kind, and I am extremely grateful to them for taking me on as an intern this summer. I hope that I can be equally as helpful in the work that I will do with the FEMAP Foundation.