Asia Williams“Going to Africa changed my life. It is impossible to go to that continent, experience the culture, meet the people, and leave as the same person.” Those are thoughts from Asia Williams, a junior biology major from Shreveport, Louisiana, who spent her summer in Mombasa, Kenya working a medical internship.

“While in Kenya, I conducted hygiene clinics in schools where I taught children the proper way to brush their teeth and wash their hands. I also shadowed physicians in various areas of the medical field,” said Williams. “During my internship, I learned that representation in medicine matters. It was inspiring to go to a place where all the doctors looked like me. It was even more empowering to see that most of the physicians were women.”

Williams traveled to Kenya courtesy of the Honors Program and Office of International Programs at Prairie View A&M University. “Your college experience is determined by you. You can make the most out of it, or you can choose not to,” said Williams. “With that being said, it is super important to get involved because it is a great way to meet people, give back to the community, and have fun.”

Williams was recently accepted into the Undergraduate Medical Academy at PVAMU. She plans to go to medical school post-graduation. “One quote that I live by is, ‘No matter where you’re planted, bloom.’ As students, we have been planted here on Prairie View’s campus; it is up to us to grow and prosper, no matter how hard things get.”

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-This story by Marchita Shilo originally appeared in Academic Insights.