Help send Lexi on a medical study abroad trip to the Azores and Canary Islands

Alexis Potter Start Date: Jan 5, 2015 - End Date: May 4, 2015
  • Intern Abroad
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Vacation/Personal Trip
  • Azores, Portugal
  • Canary Islands, Spain

My Travel Story

by: Alexis Potter Start Date: Jan 5, 2015 - End Date: May 4, 2015
  • Intern Abroad
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Vacation/Personal Trip
People tend to develop a dream over their life, I decided on mine at a much younger age than most.  As a toddler I was severely burnt and spent about two years in and out of the hospital undergoing surgery and healing.  I was determined not to let it hinder me, and seventeen years later I still vividly remember the doctors who matched my determination with their own and forever changed my life.  It is my dream to one day do the same for others by becoming a specialized surgeon.  

 When I found out about the Atlantis Project last October I felt as if a huge door to my future had opened.  I get excited every time I think about the experience that I will be gaining from this study abroad trip!  On my travels I will be doing everything from spending time in the hospital with the instructors and other Atlantis fellows, to caring for the local people and submersing myself in their culture. I will have the opportunity to shadow many specialties and get a better idea of what specialty I would like to pursue later on.

The Atlantis Project program is different than most. Through this program I will have the ability to get closer and more hands on with my learning than I would in the U.S.A. This program is very highly rated among study abroad programs.  I have never heard of, nor in my research found a better one. Through participating in this program I will get the clinical experience of a third year medical student as an undergraduate junior in college. It would set me far apart from other students in applying for and attending medical school.

From the end of May until the beginning of August I will be studying in hospitals on the Azores and Canary islands. The Azores are 950 miles off the coast of Portugal and the Canary Islands are 60 miles off the coast of Africa. This distance from the mainland makes their medical systems unique because they must be completely self-sustaining, so there is a necessity to house a wide variety of specialties on the islands. This allows me to shadow and learn from so many different specialized doctors.

This trip is going to cost me about $13,000. I have been working 3 jobs and going to school to prepare for and save money for this trip. I have been saving for about a year now, but do not have the means to save the full amount that I need on my “broke college kid” budget. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity and I refuse to let a lack of funding stop me from being able to go.  I have come to learn that every part no matter how large or small makes a difference. So if you can only support a little, or if you can give a lot that is more than wonderful and I can’t thank you enough. If you are unable to give then I ask for your support in prayer, a priceless gift that would mean so much!

I never want to look back on my life wondering if I fulfilled my full potential, thinking “I could have.”  That is why I am taking action now, striving and learning each and every day so that I can eventually reminisce on my life and say “I did it.”  I truly believe that the opportunity I have been granted to be a part of the Atlantis Project will be a vital element in reaching my future goals. So, I am asking you to pay it forward, by sponsoring my trip. Please help me achieve my dream to someday help and heal people by becoming a phenomenal doctor.

Thank you all for your love and support past, present, and future.

If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Love,

Lexi Potter
  • Azores, Portugal
  • Canary Islands, Spain

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