Posts published in July, 2015

Van Tran
Van at SCVMC

Bridging the gap between patient and provider

by on July 24, 2015 2:28 am
Categories: 200 Words, Cardinal Commitment, Health
Tags: , , , ,

By Van Tran, ’16 (English)

Not many people can say they’ve had the chance to meet a survivor of human trafficking and domestic violence. I still remember the day the paramedics brought Quy* into the emergency room. Her head was tender from where it been bashed, the skin around one eye an angry red that slowly bruised purple. But what I remember most is the blank look in her eyes as the staff at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) tried to figure out what language she spoke.

Our hospital doesn’t have in-house interpreters on weekend or overnight shifts. That’s where I come in as a volunteer interpreter from SCOPE, a hospital nonprofit that connects Stanford students with opportunities for public service. On some days, I’m the only Vietnamese speaker in the emergency department. By bridging linguistic and cultural barriers, I facilitate healthcare delivery for patients like Quy.

In my three years with SCOPE, I have been blessed with the opportunity to share in the experience of SCVMC patients, many of whom come from underserved communities. In the process of working with these patients to convey their story, I discover new facets of my cultural heritage and emerge reinvigorated in my dedication to public service.

*Alias used to protect patient’s privacy.

Science in Service

The educational value of bacteria

by on July 13, 2015 7:21 pm
Categories: 200 Words, Cardinal Commitment, Education and Youth Development
Tags: , ,

By Ritika Dutta, ’15 (Biology)

In my sophomore year, I worked with two middle school students on a project about bacteria. Neither of the girls seemed very interested in the material and both were constantly distracted. In an effort to make the project fun for them and engage them, I suggested that our project be to take bacteria from both girls’ and boys’ backpacks and compare the types and amount of bacteria in each. Immediately, the girls were excited and enthusiastic – they couldn’t wait to figure out whether boys or girls were “dirtier!”

The project was extremely effective in teaching essential scientific concepts, such as how to develop a hypothesis, design an experiment, and analyze data. As I watched the girls proudly and confidently present the project on the last day, I felt immensely proud at their progress – both girls had told me they were extremely shy and had never been able to speak publicly, but after a lot of practice and confidence-building, they did an amazing job and were able to overcome their fears. I hope that the experience helped them realize that science can be fun and interesting and opened the door for future exploration.

Sammie Wills

Finding a family through service

by on July 13, 2015 7:09 pm
Categories: 200 Words, Cardinal Commitment, Identity

By Sammie Wills, ’16 (Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity)

As a low-income, queer, mixed-race Pilipina person, I had never been in a space that affirmed all of my identities before I joined the Asian Pacific Island Equality–Northern California organization (APIENC). Growing up, I was scared. I was too scared to rely on others, too scared to share parts of myself, and too scared to think that I may ever be enough. Finding a family at APIENC allowed me the space to move beyond these fears, and trust that the people around me would be there to support the amazing work that we need to do. When I walked into work at APIENC, it was the first time I was able to feel whole and authentic in every part of who I am.

The major highlight of that work, for me, is the Dragon Fruit Project, an inter-generational oral history project that documents the stories of LGBTQ Asian Pacific Islander Activists from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. By uplifting our queer API community histories, we’re breaking through the silence that is a byproduct of systematic and institutionalized oppression. When we engage with this work as interviewers, transcribers, archivists, and artists, we are creating inter-generational connections that ground us in an empowering and revolutionary historical narrative.

Check out the video of Sammie talking about the Dragon Fruit Project.