Hello, my name is Brianny Medina and I am an undergraduate student at FIU and I have been so lucky to have been given the opportunity to study abroad with the program: India Global Health: Psychology. I could have taken the traditional “med-school” student route and majored in biology, but instead, I chose psychology because I believe dealing with patients and families is a very difficult task. I knew that having a strong background in psychology would only further help me excel in patient care and treatment. I have always believed that medical professionals must understand their patients and their needs on a personal level, as well as, a medical one. Not everyone handles difficult news the same way and not everyone agrees with the thought of a surgical or medical procedure and its risks. A doctor carries much responsibility. People, patients, families, and kids look up to them for the right answer and hope. You must know how to handle all that pressure. With that being said, I feel a degree in psychology will give me all of the skills and knowledge I need for a career in medicine. I initially applied to this program as soon as I could the minute I read “global health issues.” My parents both came from Cuba when they were about 13. Unfortunately, my mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in her early 20s, then again in her early 30s, again in her late 30s, and now it is back with a vengeance at the age of 45. She was treated each time and just when we thought it was gone, it came right back. Her cancer has now spread to her lymph nodes and lungs. I don't want my story to be a sob story. My mother has been the strongest person in my life and her doctors are the reason she has made it to see 45 years and although it is back, they are working their hardest to keep her alive. The thought of being able to wake up every day and save a life raises so much excitement and responsibility I want to take on in myself. Everyone is capable of taking their weaknesses and making them the reasons for your strength and guidance. I hope to become a surgeon one day and taking a trip to India to observe the multifaceted response to a variety of healthcare issues in both rural and urban clinics, public health non-governmental organizations and hospitals is an important factor I need to see and experience. I want to make a change in the world, but in order to do that, I need to see what it consists of. This program will offer me field experience helping health practitioners and academics conducting research, along with the skills needed to develop a research project. I would like to focus on infection control and I hope that this project will not only serve as key part of my medical school application material to highlight my global health skills but also to expose me to different approaches of medicine in different parts of the world.