By Brody Caniglia, University of Washington
My name is Brody Caniglia. I attend the University of Washington Bothell, and I’m currently in my third year. My major is health studies with a special interest in health policies and women’s health. These specific topics interest me because I love learning the history behind how certain policies develop and change with time and I love investigating women’s health as I believe it is an under researched aspect of public health. I was born in Washington and have lived here my whole life. I’m quite familiar with the west coast of the U.S., but besides that, my travel experience is sparse (especially in considerations of different countries).
In my free time, I love doing mini art projects such as collages and beaded bracelets that are often inspired by my favorite K-Pop groups and songs. I’m also a big fan of watching Jeopardy! and learning super obscure pieces of knowledge.
Professionally, I hope to someday be able to educate students on health topics in order to ensure they stay safe and healthy. I want to promote importance and open-mindedness in terms of healthcare.
This summer, I’ve been given an amazing opportunity to travel to Ireland and learn directly how their current healthcare system came to be. Though, it’s not just simply how their healthcare system was formed; I’ll be learning how the arts and culture have shaped Ireland’s policies and advocacy in public health, human rights, social justice, and healthcare. We’ll be traveling throughout Dublin, Waterford, and Kilkenny. We’ll be stationed in Waterford majority of the time as we’re staying at the Waterford South East Technological University. Our travel group has a very packed itinerary filled with guided tours, Irish dancing and poetry lessons, and scenic destinations in order to fully understand the role arts and culture have played.
This program specifically caught my attention because to me, arts and healthcare are two completely different subjects that do not overlap. I’m so interested in learning how they can directly impact each other as I feel like the world often divides subjects like art and literature from subjects such as health and
technology. I believe this experience will really open my mind about the unlimited power of cause-and effect relationships in areas where I thought they couldn’t exist before.
To add on, I’m quite uneducated in Ireland’s past and current history as a whole. Ireland is a country that has had to experience extreme tragedies such as slavery and famine. Coming from a country like the U.S. where slavery is also a major tragedy in our history, I want to see how Ireland has recovered and been impacted in comparison.
Picture of the EPIC Museum located in Dublin. It is an emigration museum and a big focal point of this trip!
I’ll be arriving in Ireland a day ahead of when I’m meant to meet with my group and leaving a couple days later after the group departs. I want to allow myself to get familiar with the area before we begin our research. I want to be able to appreciate what Ireland has to offer instead of only viewing it as a research project. I want to interact with the culture and people without any academic pressure impacting those experiences.
Being able to conduct research in a foreign environment will put me in situations I haven’t dealt with before. I believe this is good for me to improve my adaptability skills and come to terms with the fact that not everything will go as planned. It’s important to be able to bounce back quickly, and this is an extremely safe setting to learn to do such.
What I’m looking forward to the most is forming new bonds with the group I’m traveling with; knowing we’re all experiencing something new together while learning a lot on a day-to-day basis. Doing so much in a short, 3-week study abroad period can be overwhelming and seem intimidating, so I’m very grateful to do all this with a lovely group of people who also have the want to learn and have fun while doing so.
I’m a bit apprehensive about my ability to navigate a foreign country on my own at first, worrying that I may stick out as an obvious traveler. But I believe this is a fundamental part of the trip. This is my first time traveling overseas, so this is my chance to improve my skills and better them for any future travel and learning occasions!
Regardless of what happens, I acknowledge that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Knowing this will ensure I make the most of my trip and will appreciate every day that passes.
It’s hard to know what I’ll specifically end up learning the most about, but I know no matter what that I’ll have expanded my knowledge on Ireland’s rich history and fighting spirit in ways that wouldn’t be possible without this opportunity.
HSF House Blogs 