Diversifying perspectives to strengthen our community

Steven Brunet, a fourth-year BMSc student, isn’t deterred by his busy school schedule to provide health care education to students in underprivileged communities.

Brunet believes that contributing his time and effort to work internationally will gradually help underprivileged communities reach self-sufficiency.

He aims to specialize in maternal and neonatal health, which coincides with his recent internship in Kigali, Rwanda.

During his mission, Brunet and his group helped teach the importance of reproductive health and family planning to local high school students.

“This partnership allowed me to communicate my knowledge of the human body by using engaging, entertaining and culturally appropriate approaches to educate teenagers," explained Brunet.

He explains that by empowering youth with health care knowledge, it helps reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies, and decrease the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

The experience allowed Brunet to share the knowledge he obtained at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, but most importantly, it taught him that students have the potential to offer creative and innovative ideas.

Brunet enjoyed interacting with the dynamic culture, and engaging with the students.

“Actively trying to learn something new from every person you meet helps diversify your perspective while strengthening our own community,” said Brunet.