My First Healthcare Fellowship in Greece

Lidya Gossa Start Date: Oct 21, 2017 - End Date: Nov 14, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Professional Development
  • Athens, Central Athens, Greece

My Travel Story

by: Lidya Gossa Start Date: Oct 21, 2017 - End Date: Nov 14, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Professional Development
Hello Family and Friends, I would like to inform you on one of the greatest news that I have recieved within this year. But before I inform you on this GREAT news, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself.

I am currently in my second year of of college pursuing a degree in Neuroscience with a concentration in pre-medicine. This means that after I get my bachelors degree I would be going ro medical school in pursuit of becoming a doctor. 
 
Since I was 12 years old, I have had a likeness for medicine. It wasn’t until I was about 15 when I finally came to the realization that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Growing up I saw the connections that were formed between patients and doctors. This impact that doctors have had on the world made me realize that helping people was something that my heart desired.

As a neuroscience major I plan to become either a Neurologist or a Neurosurgeon. Even though my direction in the medical field could possibly change, I know for a fact that I want to work with patients and cases dealing with the brain.

Half way through my second semester of college at Georgia State University, I stumbled upon an article online advertising the Atlantis Project. The cover picture with students in white coats captioned “Shadow a Doctor Abroad” caught my attention because of my desire to travel and also my desire of wanting to see what a day in the life of a doctor was like. This pushed me into doing my research on the project and watching students’ responses to the trip.

The Atlantis Project is a pre-med Fellowship abroad program that connects pre-health students with doctors in hospitals across the world. It is designed to help students like me understand their place in the medical field and get first-hand experience shadowing physicians. As you may know, getting serious shadowing experience in the States is both extremely competitive and rigorously regulated. Yet, pre-med students are all but required to have shadowing experiences, along with unique extracurricular pursuits, to get accepted into medical school. The Atlantis Project satisfies both needs.

After seeing the article, I applied the next day, interviewed the following week, and was thankfully accepted soon afterwards. This Fellowship will give me the chance to: shadow international physicians, rotate weekly through different fields in healthcare, shadow for 20 hours every week, go on group outings to experience the culture, connect with and meet other pre-med students around the world, grow personally and spiritually, and also help teach English to hospital staff. I will be traveling to Athens, Greece on December 27th for one and a half weeks, and I am so excited to see healthcare from this new cultural perspective!

I am honestly very excited to see what working with healthcare looks like in another country.  

I am excited to see different healthcare departments and how they operate. From this, I hope to get confirmation in my pursuit of neurology or even find another side of the healthcare that suits me. I am also super excited to meet students that have similar aspirations as I do.

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read this letter about my future medical pursuits and about my winter plans. The total cost for the Fellowship averages to about $3,500 including flights, additional food, and any extra expenses. Unfortunately, I only have one month to raise this amount BUT I will not let that hold me back. I believe that when God opens up a door, it cannot be shut.
This is where I need your help- if you are willing and able to partner with me on this trip, I would greatly appreciate a monetary contribution of any amount. No gift is too small, so whether you give $10, $25, $50, $100, or $500, I would appreciate any support. 

I will be making a post after my Fellowship to everyone who partners with me so that I can share how I learned and grew from the experience.

Thank you so much in advance and I hope you keep me in your prayers because I believe that God is truly doing something with my dream.
  • Athens, Central Athens, Greece