Andrea Jo King, a student at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, is one year away from beginning her Residency.  She has been deeply involved in efforts to design a curriculum specific to medicine and poverty.  Its ultimate goal is to convince aspiring doctors of the necessity and worth of practicing in underserved communities, to erase the tragic disparities in health care availability, as dictated by class.  In addition, Andrea served for one year as the Director of a student-run clinic offering free services to the homeless.  She credits her strong sense of civic responsibility in part to her experiences with Students Sharing, which she served in a work-study capacity while she was an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins.

David Collier was Catonsville High School's Students Sharing leader in 2005.  He reminisces that one of his most powerful life experiences was participating in Lobby Day in Annapolis, SSC's annual advocacy event.  With great pride, he reflects that his efforts in helping to pass the Fair Share Health Plan made him feel more empowered than he ever had previously.  Now in his final year at Columbia, David plans -- through the Teach for America program -- to teach middle school math in an underserved community in New Orleans.  He believes he has "a great model for community service and meaningful change from SSC," and that his experience with the organization taught him that such changes occur "through grass roots efforts, combined with mature engagement with politics."

Katie Flowers credits Students Sharing Coalition with awakening her to thoughtful civic action.  Of her old patterns of thinking, Katie says: "I knew there were problems in the world.  Everyone knows there is homelessness, and that there is hunger and there are people out of work and without health care.  But you don't think about it if it doesn't really affect you."  She was first exposed to Students Sharing during a high school service project, where she says she learned to "take [her] blinders off."  She continued to volunteer throughout high school, and has remained involved throughout college.  One of her strongest and most heartfelt commitments is to convince her peers to see the world from a different perspective, with the hope that they too will appreciate the enormous value of service.

 

 

More soon to come!