Brianna LaBarge

Brianna LaBarge is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Drexel University. With the assistance of the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, she is studying abroad during the Winter term in San José, Costa Rica. She is a Philadelphia native who was finally given the chance to travel outside of the United States thanks to this gracious scholarship. Through the immersion offered in the program, Brianna hopes to gain a better understanding of the Spanish language and have more insight into a culture different from her own. She enjoys traveling, reading, and pursuing new experiences.

During her time in Costa Rica, Brianna will be participating in community work with a Christian organization whose mission is to help the social welfare of the local children. She will be working alongside a nurse to help develop and teach important health subjects to the students in Spanish. The topics include puberty, hand washing, and dental hygiene which are all very important health topics for children. Brianna is also taking classes abroad at the local university where she will be learning about the healthcare system in Costa Rica, common tropical diseases in Latin America, and health among vulnerable populations. All of the classes as well as the community work experience will help Brianna further reach her goals of broadening her cultural horizons, and increasing her proficiency in Spanish. Brianna also has a blog that features the men and women of the medical field in Costa Rica, as well as the beautiful country itself. She also goes into detail about the healthcare system in Costa Rica, which is a very unique and interesting universal healthcare system. Lastly, Brianna will showcase various tropical diseases and follow up with ways to diagnose and treat these diseases.

Last updated: January 2019

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