By Ellie Allison
Experiences outside of and within Baylor grew Halle’s interest in aiding the gap in healthcare inequality. Growing up in New York City, Halle was exposed firsthand to the reality of how economic disparity affects access to health care. Because of this, from an early age, Halle set her sights on attending medical school in the future. Attending Baylor, rather than enrolling in the sciences, she majored in international studies to access coursework on language, global issues, and development. Her IST classes shaped her interest in public policy, and the public health side of medicine.
Like most IST majors and alumni, Halle has an interest in learning languages and using the skill to help others. At Baylor, Halle studied French to fulfill the language requirements of IST. However, she is now fluent in Spanish, after spending her first year post-graduation shadowing a doctor in Guatemala. After spending the first four months in a language school in Antigua, Guatemala, Halle worked as a diabetes research intern in Zone 3 of Guatemala City. In this area, residents work in the large dump, searching for scraps as assigned by the rival gangs that control the zone. Due to poor dietary practices, many residents are diagnosed with diabetes, but do little to treat the disease. Halle shared that she was exposed to practicing medicine in an area with syncretic religious beliefs that affected how patients sought treatment, invaluable experience for which IST provided her the framework.
Based on these experiences, Halle was able to inform her interests and formulate future goals. Her time in Guatemala expanded her interest in wealth disparity and access to healthcare. As a medical student at University of the Incarnate Word, located in San Antonio, Halle is studying to obtain a MD as well as earn a MA in public health. After finishing medical school, she wants to work in trauma and critical care, an area of medicine that her time in Guatemala inspired her interest in. Her other goals include consulting for nonprofits and other companies that are seeking to develop medicine globally. In the future, Halle is interested in living abroad, and thanks to her education in IST, she is open and prepared for work in any region of the globe.
To current undergraduate students seeking to leave Baylor for global adventures, she encourages investment in professors, student peers, and other connections. Halle says to reach out for conversations, don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself, as these connections could be valuable in the future. For students looking to get involved abroad, she advocates for working under the local leadership in well established places to obtain the best experience. This advice has been beneficial in her own life, and she plans to use this to continue broadening her international experiences.
