Meet the Group

"My name is Nilda Cravens and I am the UMaine  nursing faculty going in the UMNI Belize trip 2013. It is a privilege to be part of this trip; international health is one of my passions ever since I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador in the early 1980's. I am a Cuban American and am fluent in Spanish which will be one of the languages that many Belize citizens speak. 
This trip is a wonderful opportunity for students to become engaged and more aware of global health issues, and to travel internationally. The students are eager to  use their technical nursing skills to provide healthcare  service.
We will be preparing for our trip by reviewing safety travel precautions and by learning about the Belize  culture, and about different world views."

"Hey everyone! My name is Joshua Hughes. I am a third year nursing student at the University of Maine.  I am super excited to travel to Belize in March to provide healthcare and better my understanding of global health by visiting this beautiful place. Both healthcare and culture have been passions of mine. So, it would make sense that I would be drawn in by the topic of global health. When I heard about this trip, I knew I had to get on board. I knew I had to not only to provide my skills to the population of Belize but to have one life changing experience!"

"My name is Jen Pittis and I am a senior nursing student. I'm going to Belize to experience how healthcare in other regions of the world differs from healthcare in the US. I'm hoping to gain experience and confidence in my care of patients, and I'm excited to learn about their culture!"



 

Hello! My name is Aaron Cyr and I am the President and co-founder of UMNI. I'm 23 years old and am currently a Senior nursing student. I'm a member of the Orono Student Nurses Association and was Fundraising chair from 2011-2012. I actually attended the trip last year and am the only returning student. My experience that i had last year was phenomenal and was one of the best things that i could of done to further my nursing career. It gave me such a great boost in confidence and enhanced my skills on a different level. Typically what we see here is hospital care. When you are practicing and providing care in a third world country all of your methods are different and you must really rely on your senses and assessment skills. I look to further all of these feelings and skills again on this trip. Once again I can't wait to go and am very anxious! 

"I’m Allie Collias, a freshman nursing student at UMO. Part of my passion for nursing stems from my travels and meeting different people from all over. I have always wanted to combine traveling and nursing so what better way than to go to Belize with
the nursing group?! I hope to learn valuable techniques and experiences to bring home and use in my future nursing career!"






"My name is Melissa McGary, I am a anxious senior nursing student at the University of Maine, Orono awaiting graduation in May! I am a lover of travel and culture with few experiences of such to share. When I heard about this trip last year, I was disappointed I could not be a member of the group. So when the time came to begin planning for the 2013 trip I knew I had to be a part of it. One of my goals in life is to take advantage of every opportunity to learn through experiences and traveling. As a soon-to-be nurse helping people is a motive behind nearly everything I do and I believe utilizing unique opportunities to grow as a learner, a health care worker, and a person will help me to gain a broader perspective on important aspects of life in general. I hope this trip will be the beginning of a very colorful future career in nursing. I am so excited to be a part of this group and I cannot wait to develop my skills and knowledge about culture, travel, and healthcare and to come home and share my experience!"
"My name is Alexandra Libby and I am a senior nursing student at the University of Maine. I have always had a love for travel and passion for nursing so what better way to bring the two together than travel to Belize with fellow nursing students this March. While in Belize I hope to gain knowledge of the culture and learn about providing care in a different part of the world. This trip is going to provide me with an experience to provide care to those in need while gaining confidence in my skills and helping my future my nursing career. I can’t wait to bring back what I have learned and apply to it my practice here in the United States. I hope this nursing service trip is the first of many for me." 


"My name is Shannon Gusmini and I am a First year nursing student.  I have a strong passion for travel as well as learning about other cultures. Once I receive my RN I plan to travel as much as possible to third world countries and help provide health care to the people who live where ever I go.  So I thought this trip to Belize would be a great opportunity for me to get started on something I would love to do!!  Through this trip I hope to gain more experience of what it might be like working as a nurse as well as learn what the healthcare system is like in another country."

"Hi my name is Casey Shalkowski and I am the secretary for the UMNI trip to Belize.  I am in my second year as a nursing student and a part of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps here at UMaine.  When I graduate I will become a Nurse Officer in the United States Navy.  I hope to travel as much as I can and gain new experiences before I serve.  I have a passion for helping those in need and learning more about new cultures.  I hope to gain a new perspective by traveling to Belize and learn as much as I can along the way!"