My study abroad research program in Haiti was my first undergraduate leadership experience. It definitely was not a position I signed up for but amounted to. As the only student that spoke Haitian-Creole, I became a leader amongst the other students. I took on the role of a basic Haitian Cultural Educator for my other classmates as it related to our research project. I taught the other students common Haitian phrases for basic communication. This experience showed important aspects of leadership such as communication, education, collaboration, and time management. This experience has shaped my character as a leader through various group projects where I took on a leadership role and on campus today, most notably as a U Matter Ambassador. As a U Matter Ambassador, I serve as a student leader that educates the University of Florida study body about campus resources available through the Dean of Student office while promoting mental health and wellness through class presentations and campus tabling.

As a pre-health student, I have learned the importance of teamwork and working in an interdisciplinary setting showcased through many group projects, presentations, throughout my study abroad research program in Gressier, Haiti, and my medical service-learning trip in Cusco, Peru. The students in our study abroad research group came from diverse educational backgrounds as did the students from our medical service trip. In Haiti, we had to work together to effectively conduct our field research surveys, ethnographic interviews, and water sampling collection. We took on different roles and tasks such as administering research surveys alongside a Haitian Creole translator, testing water samples, and transcribing the collected data. My medical service trip in Peru was also another international experience that required teamwork collaboration. By us working together at different stations such as vitals, dental, and pharmacy, patients were able to receive different health services throughout the rural clinic. As student volunteers, we were able to provide assistance to rural medical staff, allowing them to see more patients.

As I previously mentioned, communication is an important aspect of being an effective leader. My various group project leadership roles required me to communicate well with our group members and delegate assigned tasks to everyone and periodically check on the group's progress. My study abroad in Haiti also required both written and oral communication. As a native speaker of Haitian Creole, I served as a translator during our research survey collection and throughout the data transcribing processes. The following semester, our research group was also responsible for presenting our research findings to the College of Public and Health Professions, for which I presented the cultural and health belief section of our presentation. The medical service trip also required me to effectively communicate with students at different stations. And my current internship has shown me the importance of communication in health care. All of these experiences have allowed me further develop my communication style and skills.

Studying Abroad in Haiti and my Medical Service Trip to Peru has allowed me to be flexible and adaptable. I was born in Gonaives, Haiti so Gressier, Haiti, our research site was an uncommon part of the country for me. During field research, things did not always go according to plan so I had to learn how to re-evaluate research participants for our study. During my medical service-learning trip to Peru, I had to step outside of my comfort zone given that I was volunteering in a new country for the first time and did not speak Spanish. It also served as a learning opportunity for me to pick up a few Spanish words. I had my English-Spanish dictionary and translator app handy. Adaptability and flexibility came to serve as a useful skill in planning alternative diversity and inclusion activities for the U Matter We Care student organization throughout this COVID-19 pandemic we have been experiencing during this past year.