Perhaps it is not a very good idea to create a blog account and come up with a title after a holding a long interview session for VNCARES because that was the only thing on my mind. Actually, VNCARES has been on my mind almost every day. VNCARES (Vietnamese Cancer Awareness and Research Education Society) is a student-run organization on UC Davis campus that promotes cancer awareness and provides free cancer screenings to the underserved Vietnamese population. I am currently the organization’s Co-clinical Manager and have been involved in it for the past 2 years. Some of the factors that initially drew my interest in the program include: its meaningful purpose, Vietnamese youth working together to change the world, community service opportunity, and a great preparation for medical school.
Being a part of VNCARES, I felt that I gained more than just medical experiences; I developed relationships with patients, other interns, physicians and medical students. Through them, I grew to be a better person as I learned more about myself and what I really wanted to do in life. In most of the conversations I had with patients, often I was told how thankful they were that VNCARES existed to provide free cancer screenings for them. Most patients were either financially challenged or not informed of the high risk issues related to breast, cervical, and prostate cancer. Hearing this, I knew that I am at the right place doing the right thing. Thus, the softest thanks or even the slightest smile coming from patients filled my heart with the biggest joy knowing I did something to help them, even if it was just as little as translating for them. The more time I spent with VNCARES, the more meanings it adds to my life.
