Meet the 2021 GROW Interns!

Mahealani Daniels: Hello Everyone! My name is Mahealani Daniels and I am a rising senior at Colorado College majoring in History and BESoc (Business, Economics, and Society) with a minor in Global Health. I am originally from a quaint town on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Beyond studying at Colorado College, I have studied abroad in Nepal, Poland, and England predominantly focusing on the impacts of globalization and climate change on health, economics, and culture. In my free time I enjoy being a volunteer service dog trainer, working in a genomics laboratory, and spending time soaking up the sun at the beach. My passion for public and global health began in high school when I lived on the Native American Navajo Reservation and volunteered in the mobile health units which served remote regions in the Southwest. My best friend, and fellow GROWIntern, Quinna Phillips, referred me to the GROW internship as she thought that it was an opportunity to further delve into global health. I was further driven to be a GROWIntern due to WOPLAH’s devotion to grassroots community based initiatives within the realm of public health. I am immensely excited to be a GROW Intern and cannot wait for all that this upcoming summer has to offer. I look forward to bringing the experiences that I have gained throughout the summer with me as I study Global Health and History at the University of Oxford next year and pursue a career in medicine in the future.

Quinna Phillips: Hey everyone! My name is Quinna Phillips and I am a rising senior at Colorado College. I am majoring in Neuroscience and Physics with a minor in Molecular Biology. I grew up in Chicago, but I am originally from Los Angeles. I have been a member of my GlobeMed chapter’s Executive Board since my freshman year, and I am so excited to have this opportunity to work more closely with our partner. Growing up I volunteered at a clinic that provided hippotherapy for mentally and physically disabled individuals which sparked my passion for the field. I spent several years immersed in the healthcare field as a patient myself after a traumatic brain injury, and not only did I realize my interest in medicine and healthcare but I saw a lot of equity issues in the field firsthand that I knew needed to be remedied and I want to do my part to help. I plan to pursue a career in healthcare as a pediatric neurologist with a focus on underserved communities. The mission of the GROW internship is something close to my heart and I’m so excited to be a part of this incredible team! Our partnership with WOPLAH has been an amazing thing to be a part of, and I can’t wait to get more involved with the organization. In my free time I love to run with my dog, rock climb, knit, and go camping. This summer I will also be doing research with my school’s physics department. I am incredibly excited about the team we have this year and I can’t wait to see where the summer takes us.

Lindsey Smith: Hello WOPLAH community! My name is Lindsey Smith and I am a rising Junior at Colorado College. I am majoring in Molecular Biology and am planning on minoring in Human Biology and Kinesiology. I grew up in Camp Humphreys, South Korea, and later moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. In my free time, I love running, reading, and playing with my cat Lulu. During my time at Colorado College, I have done research on yeast genetics, interned at Family Promise, and have served as the ghU and am now serving as the GROW coordinator for the GROW intern team and the GlobeMed Chapter at Colorado College. My passion for global health equity is constantly fueled as a member of GlobeMed, and I want to do everything I can to promote a just world where the health of communities flourish. After Colorado College, I want to join the Peace Corps to immerse myself in a community abroad and to work alongside local leaders to tackle the challenges at hand. Afterward, I hope to matriculate into an MD-PhD Program as I value the demand for treating patients along with innovation and advancements in medicine. I hope to contribute to a world where there are no health disparities and everyone has proper access to the healthcare we all deserve. Being a part of GlobeMed has taught me that being able to partner with WOPLAH is an amazing opportunity. We get to work alongside Edwin and the Ambassadors of Hope, and I am looking forward to all of the wonderful things I learn from them. I am truly grateful for this opportunity, as WOPLAH’s mission to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS empowers the individuals and their families affected by the virus/syndrome through support groups and community dialogues. After this internship, I will still be working alongside Edwin, the Program Coordinator at WOPLAH, and I hope that we continue to develop our partnership in a sustainable manner. I am looking forward to working with the rest of the GROW interns and to meeting the rest of WOPLAH community!

Meghna Bagchi: Hi everyone! My name is Meghna Bagchi and I will be a junior at Colorado College majoring in Molecular Biology and minoring in Human Biology and Kinesiology. I am from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. After I complete my undergraduate education, I plan to pursue a career in healthcare, and I would love to learn more about the intersection between public health and medicine. My hobbies include hiking, reading, and making friendship bracelets. I currently volunteer with a nonprofit public health resource, planned parenthood, and I have learned so much about the importance of health education and community outreach. I wanted to participate in the Grow internship to learn more about what community engagement and medical outreach programs look like in communities outside of my own. Throughout this summer I hope to learn more about my interests in public health and I am excited to work with the other GROW interns and the WOPLAH community!

Evan Cho:

Hey everyone! My name is Evan Cho and I will be a senior this fall at Colorado College majoring in Molecular Biology. I am from San Ramon, California. After completing my education at CC, I am planning on continuing my education in Medical School and becoming a medical missionary to really apply what I have learned towards my goal ministry-associated medical outreach. Outside of education, I enjoy playing music (piano and oboe) and long boarding whenever I have the time. My activities in medicine have mostly been associated with research internships, and I am looking forward to this GROW internship for the opportunity to engage in a hands on experience of what medical outreach truly looks like. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you throughout the course of this experience!