How do you say "intern" in Creole?

Not only do we have great interns rockin' it at the HFHF mothership in Raleigh, but we also have three lucky interns spending their summer on a beautiful Caribbean island in the sun (or at least that's how we like to describe it in our recruiting materials. ;)). John, Peter and Emily are spending the summer down in Haiti and will be assisting with our medical projects in Zorange and the surrounding areas; we have no doubt their expertise will be invaluable to strengthening HFHF's work in this area. We know they're going to have the adventure of a lifetime, as they brave a summer full of river showers, constant sweat, sleeping in cots and extreme farmer tans, where Chaco tan lines are how you earn your stripes (literally). But we also know that despite the warnings about "don't fall in love at the Haitian shore" ;), they're going to come back with amazing memories, awesome relationships and with that bug that keeps people going back to Haiti over and over. Take a few minutes to get to know our brave jetsetters!

Name: John French

Internship Focus: Medical

University and status: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, rising senior

Major: Biology

In His Own Words: I have been interested in pursuing a career in medicine since I first started college three years ago. As a volunteer in the hospital, I was invigorated by interacting with the medical staff and serving the needs of the patients. Various classes sparked my interest in international medicine. Several months ago I started looking for an opportunity to travel abroad and gain experience with international medicine. I came across HFHF's website and I was very impressed with what they were doing in Haiti, and I became eager to get in on the action! I am really looking forward to working with the Haitian medical team, conducting health-based research, and getting to know the local community. I am excited to have the opportunity to take part in this life changing experience and support the vision of HFHF!

Name: Peter Helvie

Focus: Medical

University/Status: graduated from UNC, class of 2011

Major: Biology, Italian

In His Own Words: I heard about HFHF through my friend John French and immediately jumped at the opportunity to make the trip to Zorange and work at the medical clinic. I am pursuing a career in medicine, so there was a natural interest on my part to work in a medical clinic under such extreme conditions (compared to what I'm used to in Chapel Hill). After learning more about HFHF, I became even more interested and excited to get involved. One of my favorite parts about HFHF's work and one of the things that most excites me is that everything is run by Haitians. It is wonderful to see a country in dire need of help taking steps towards bettering their situation from the inside. In a country with medical technology and expertise so far behind the United States, it is very encouraging to hear about a Haitian program which utilizes the medical knowledge of more fortunate and prosperous countries to create a clinic based on modern medicine. I am very excited to do my little part this summer, and I'm just as excited to learn about the incredible people I will meet and what they are doing to improve their situation.

Name: Emily Richey

Internship Focus: Medical

University/Status: graduated from East Carolina University

Major: Sports Medicine and Health Education

In Her Own Words: I'm a North Carolina Teaching Fellow but towards the end of my undergraduate career I knew that my calling was medicine; my true passion in life is healthcare. My plan was to immediately attack grad school and blow up with success, but I felt an unexplainable tug telling me it wasn't going to work out that way. It immediately became clear to me that my ‘perfect’ plans were peanuts compared to the amazing opportunities that God has for me. I had a friend do some medical work in Africa, and his testimony immediately made me fall in love with the idea of international medicine. I feel a strong calling to the exchange of information between countries when it comes to health care. The same friend recommended the AWESOME book "Mountains Beyond Mountains", and after reading it, my heart was completely captured by the selfless lifestyle of the Paul Farmer. It seemed like divine intervention when a girlfriend told me about her interest with the HFHF medical trips soon after I completed the book and recommended that I look into them for some experience before applying to P.A. school later this summer. Lots of prayers and chats with God have instilled a truly exuberant attitude about this summer!

Intern Up!

Now that HFHF has a full-time executive director and we are like sooo legit, we figured we might as well get ourselves some interns! After all, there was no way we were going to make Lydia tackle Elade's wonderful, big, crazy ideas all by herself. ;)We are very thankful to have two lovely ladies, Margaret Farley and Ashley Matkins (you might remember Ashley from our last guest post about her trip to Haiti) joining us at the HFHF HQ in Raleigh, as our development and public health interns. It seemed a little unfair to keep them all to ourselves, so we wanted to give you a chance to get to know them a little. We also have some Haitian-bound interns who will be spending the summer down in our little slice of Caribbean heaven -- more on them coming soon! We're already thankful to these ladies for their hard work and can't wait to see the impact they have on HFHF and Haiti over the rest of the summer.

Name: Margaret Farley
Internship Focus: Development
University and status: North Carolina State, rising junior
Major: Economics, with a minor in French
In Her Own Words: I have always been interested in helping out countries with struggling economies and pursuing opportunities to enhance the welfare of the individuals in third world countries. I have had the opportunity to study abroad in Guadeloupe as well volunteer in the community. The ability to meet the individuals of communities with basic needs we take for granted everyday has made me more committed to improving the lives of others in third world countries. I am very excited to join a new organization with such a great cause and amazing opportunities! While the experience I have had has been more business related, I have always had a passion for French that initially sparked my interested in joining an organization focused on the needs of the Haitian people. I have already been able to see that Haiti has a rich culture and hope one day I will be able to witness it firsthand!

Name: Ashley Matkins
Internship Focus: Public Health
University and status: University of North Carolina-Greensboro, rising senior
Major: Public Health, health studies concentration
In Her Own Words: I am very interested in international health and would love to be able to work overseas when I am finished with school. I have a passion for helping others and have been blessed to be able to travel to Africa and, most recently, Haiti. I have always had a genuine interest in the health and general well-being of others, and I love building relationships with people. I have worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for the last three years, and I have loved caring for every patient I have come in contact with. While I have enjoyed being a part of the healing process for patients, I have grown more and more interested in the prevention of disease and how to aid in interventions that will better equip a community to succeed. I love the vision of the HFHF, and being able to see that vision implemented first hand was an amazing experience. I am truly looking forward to watching the hope of everyone involved with HFHF grow as more goals are accomplished.