WESTFIELD – For the second consecutive year, 15 Westfield State University students and two faculty members traveled to Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala during spring break as a clinical and civic engagement element for their nursing courses.
Led by Marcia Scanlon, DNP, assistant professor of nursing and allied health, and Dr. Catherine Johnson, assistant professor of nursing and allied health, students paid out of pocket for travel expenses and raised money for supplies for the people of Guatemala, including water filters. Students raised $1,500 from a taco dinner fundraiser and received additional support from the Westfield Engages program, a civic engagement initiative at Westfield State.
“It was a life changing experience,” Scanlon said. “The students learn to appreciate a different culture and become leaders for social justice. This experience will transform their nursing career as they can draw from what they learned during the time in Guatemala.”
While in Guatemala, students built wheelchairs for two different children with physical and intellectual challenges and a house for a family of six that and furnished it with bunk beds, a stove, and items to bless the house.
With the money raised, students provided and served 400 children a protein meal for lunch and delivered sandwiches and fruit to the local homeless population. Students donated their time and money to an infant malnutrition center by caring for the infants. They also walked into the village to deliver water filters and teach locals how to properly use them.
In addition, students visited a daycare of 100 students and donated arts and crafts and school supplies to the center. While there, students balanced their time between participating in activities like art projects and teaching basic health skills like showing the children how to use toothbrushes.
Nursing student Apple Bottass ’16 of Tolland, Mass. served as a translator enabling the Westfield State students and faculty members to communicate with the locals.
“It appreciated the opportunity to work with my peers in a different way,” Bottass said. “They were so sincere trying their best to have meaningful conversations with the locals and I think the feeling was mutual. The children appreciated the love and attention that they received from my group.”
Bottass said traveling to Guatemala made her appreciate everything she had a little more, especially after delivering a meal to a homeless man and his wife.
“This was at almost 9 o’clock at night and to them the sight of food after falling asleep on an empty stomach was like seeing angels descend from heaven,” Bottass said. “It was so moving.”
While Bottass enjoyed all of her time in Guatemala, building a house for a local family really stood out to her.
“As a mother of four young children, this project was especially close to my heart,” Bottass said. “I could relate to the mother’s joy and deep gratitude for what we did for them that day. It was very special.”
Scanlon said she was proud of how her students handled themselves, both on a personal and professional basis.
“The highlight of my trip was to experience and witness the interactions of the students with the community members of Guatemala,” Scanlon said. “To see students smile, laugh, or cry at the work and care they were giving to another human being of a different culture and country was priceless.”
