By Keagan Snively
Stepping out of the cozy, warm environment of your comfort zone to go serve in a foreign country full of poverty and danger can be an overwhelming experience. But for some SMU students, the thrill is what keeps them going back every summer.
Katherine Nelson, a senior biology major, is a member of the SMU Global Brigades club that works throughout the year to raise money for the stimulating summer trip. Every year volunteers travel to different settlements in the Panama area to help the less fortunate get the care they need.
Nelson said that some days more than 200 people would come in to be treated. She and 13 other SMU students took on this adventure to serve where they were needed, learning in the process.
“I remember thinking ‘dang, if they didn’t have us, this wouldn’t happen,’” said Nelson.