Hillary Chisholm's Story
I had the incredible opportunity to be a part of the pilot “Future of Health” program at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. In these 3 weeks, we attended valuable lectures, went on unforgettable field trips, and collaboratively worked alongside other students in different sectors of health from various countries.
My group had the pleasure of visiting a facility called “Viso”, which is a village for people with visual impairments and other disabilities to live, work, and socialise in an inclusive environment. To see firsthand, the increased quality of life that these residents have was truly a heartwarming experience. Our final project was to come up with a solution to a global health problem, so our group decided to incorporate our knowledge from Viso to create a campaign to reduce preventable childhood blindness. Outside of the educational aspect of the trip, we indulged in the rich Dutch culture. The friendliness of the locals, freshness of the food, and streets filled with historical architecture are all the things I’ll miss the most about the Netherlands.
However, the best part about this trip had to be the wonderful group of women that I got to share this experience with. I now have 6 lifelong friends spread across the province and more social connections worldwide. This international learning experience has exponentially increased my self confidence while travelling, expanded my critical thinking skills, and furthered my level of cultural education. These are all qualities that will greatly benefit my future career goal of becoming a travel nurse.
“A mind stretched by new experiences can never go back to it’s old dimensions; travel, learn, grow.”