Nicole Evans

Most students at Cal are semi-involved in a student group or two, but every once in awhile you come across an astoundingly dedicated student who packs more activities into a semester than some do into their entire lives. Two-time brigade group leader and executive board member, Nicole Evans has traveled to Honduras three times in three years with Global Health Brigades at Berkeley. Jamming an Integrative Biology major, Dance minor, and a semester abroad into four years is an impressive feat. As if being a Pre-Med student isn’t enough of a load, Nicole was recruitment chair of Chi Omega sorority, worked in a breast cancer research lab with Lawrence Berkeley national labs, performed in dance teams, and still made time for health care abroad. 

There’s a plethora of student organizations at Cal, many of which are geared toward volunteering in the health profession, but Global Health Brigades at Berkeley captivated Nicole. In three trips to Honduras, Nicole and her fellow brigaders have helped change the lives of 2,000+ villagers. 

Her Campus Berkeley had the privilege of learning about GHB through the perspective of one of their accomplished Board Members.
 
HC: Describe Global Brigades. What is special about it?
Nicole: Basically, GB is the largest student lead organization and its based upon a holistic model emphasizing sustainability within its communities. GB focuses on 9 divisions and the medical division sees patients with little to no health care, providing them with medicine for the next 4-6 months. Sustainability and emphasis on education is so important, and also the fact that it is such an evolving organization. The organization is focused and open to positive change and looking to work for what’s best for the communities. They also incorporate staff members from the community as well as reaching out to community leaders to serve as long standing educators and providers for the community.
 
HC: What inspired you to get involved in GHB and how did you hear about it?
Nicole: In high school I always wanted to go on a volunteer trip and work with communities, when I found out about the organization freshman year in class, I worked on the application right away and excitedly told my parents. But I always wanted to explore global health, medicine, and health care abroad, travel. I’ve traveled a lot with family but never had the chance to volunteer abroad.
 
HC: How is GHB a unique group at Cal?
Nicole: We are organized into a horizontal board of students, we make all of our decisions together, and we try to maintain a very unified stance on things.  It’s a very intricate process of coordinating with in country and planning all the flights, purchasing and organizing medications, running a DeCal, filing for grants, and fundraising 5-6 thousand dollars. We all work together in getting everything done and each of us helps make it happen.. It’s such an important organization and experience and I love seeing how much it impacts the group. What I feel is real and I’m not alone and I get to share these experiences with people. The little bit that we do in some ways is more beneficial to us and our growth, but cumulatively we really do make a difference as a student organization and that is what is so neat and enriching about it.
 
HC: What are your most rewarding experiences with GMB?
Nicole: Basically, the most rewarding aspect was developing a larger awareness of the world, and finding future interests.  In Honduras I loved communicating with community members and really seeing their individual experiences and how they feel about their healthcare system or lack there of.  The most amazing part is playing with the children and trying to instill this knowledge in them that they may not have, and just have a mentoring system with them, we have a blast and it’s so much fun. These GMB trips have developed my interest in pediatrics.
 
HC: How has GMB and Honduras changed your perspectives?
Nicole: The whole experience has opened me up to healthcare abroad and realizing the disparities between developing nations and developed nations. I’m inspired to help close that gap and work towards providing sustainable care and education with the community members; empowering them to achieve a higher standard of health.
 
HC: What are your next steps after Cal?
Nicole: I’m hoping to pursue a Masters in global health or biomed sciences and then go on to medical school. My family is very health oriented and I “decided to go a little off the beaten path” and not become a dentist like my parents and sister. Ultimately, in addition to practicing medicine, I want to go into health care administration and policy and education.