Service & Summer

Summer: every UGA student has a limited amount until college ends, the word "real" comes before "world" and one's job allows for two weeks of vacation, instead of two months. Whether it is a summer job in a tropical location, a meaningful internship, summer classes in Athens or a trip around the world, each summer in college is always a summer to remember.

For Lauren Gawey, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, her summer plans involve a little bit of everything. For two weeks in May, Lauren will be immersed in the Nicaraguan culture living with locals and working alongside doctors and volunteers to improve the health of the Central American community. In an area where there is little knowledge about public health, Lauren and her team will be visiting homes to educate families, take vital signs, hold a first aid kit workshop, among other things.

As the daughter of two doctors in Oklahoma City, it would have been easy for Lauren to intern at any hospital. Instead, she has chosen to challenge herself to a foreign experience where she will learn important medical skills and inform people about ways to live a healthy lifestyle in hopes to prevent illness and disease. After a long semester spent studying chemistry, physics and biology, Lauren is excited to finally be able to use that knowledge to help others and gain hands-on experience. In the long run, while this trip may merely be a stepping stone in Lauren's journey in the medical field, her work in Nicaragua may impact the local people's lives forever. Kappa Kappa Gamma is proud of Lauren Gawey!