This email from one of our former 2019 Youth Ambassadors to Kenya, Kyle Polen, shows the lasting impact of student exchanges:
My 2019 Kenyan host brother, Dan, is a pharmacy student at Kenyatta University in Nairobi. He works closely with medical students and other graduate students to plan their school-wide Continuing Medical Education Lectures (CME). Since we’ve stayed in touch, he reached out to have me deliver this week’s lecture on the topic of medical training, medical practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration in U.S. healthcare. It was a well-received talk to an audience of nearly 50 students with lots of fruitful discussion following the presentation (screenshot at the end is attached).
It was a great full circle moment! And of course, this type of longitudinal engagement could not have been possible without you all. I’m immensely grateful to have participated in SSCA’s exchange programs – they’re a gift that keeps on giving! Thank you again, and I hope all is well!
Sincerely,
Kyle Polen
Medical Student (MS1) | Class of 2027
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania