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Jessica Firlej

I was privileged to participate on a medical brigade to Ghana with a group of thirty fellow Loyola students and staff. This opportunity enabled me to aid the community members of Ekumfi-Techiman while further developing my own skills in health services. Alongside providing medical support as well as conducting health workshops, this brigade changed my life and forever changed my perspective of "problems." Being welcomed by such a loving, vivacious and spiritually rich community introduced me to a greater level of gratitude for the life I have. This experience challenges me to live simply, modestly and to give back the community that had so little, but left me with a wealth of cultural knowledge and self-discovery. This experience also lead me continue volunteering, through participating on another brigade two years later - a micro-finance brigade to Honduras. My experiences through Global Brigades, in conjunction with everything I have learned in my undergraduate career at Loyola, have solidified my commitment to public service as an adult. My dream is to go back to school, law school. I would like to use my privilege of a higher education to give back to the organization I fell in love with as an undergrad – Global Brigades. After taking various undergraduate legal courses, I learned I am passionate about the law - just as much as I am passionate for human rights and social justice. I am currently applying to law schools, locally here in Chicago, and plan to become a JD candidate this upcoming fall of 2016. As a graduated attorney, I would love to work for an organization such as, Global Brigades, and organize even more legal brigades for undergraduate students to embark on, extending them to countries other than Africa, Honduras, and Panama.  

View Jessica's ePortfolio Here!

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