During her study abroad experience in Kenya, Cassidy Orange ’25, a global health major from Santa Cruz, California, learned Swahili and research methodology while comparing several national healthcare systems, including those in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the U.S.
Orange visited hospitals in several countries and conducted research on factors that influence health and how these systems differ from each other. She also worked in two hospitals, where she cared for infants, wrote reports, shadowed physicians, and observed hospital operations.
“Sit down and have a conversation with a person you haven’t talked to,” Cassidy says. “Be open to having your beliefs questioned.” She says we live in a world where everyone’s life is so different. “If you stick to the people who study the same as you, you will only be reinforcing your ideas and will not be learning anything from others.”
The global health major will help Orange pursue medicine in a global atmosphere, specifically working with second-world countries or with the World Health Organization (WHO).