Alumni
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Alex Leddin
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Throughout high school Alexandra Leddin was blessed with numerous volunteer opportunities that directly aligned with her skills and passions. In the fall of her sophomore year, she participated in a service project in the inner city of Atlanta. While on the trip, Alexandra worked at a center that catered to drug addicts, prostitutes, and the homeless, providing them food, shelter, and hope. Her role at the center allowed her to work with the children’s program, while gaining a new understanding of poverty and the need for quality healthcare.
The following summer, Alexandra went to Honduras where she worked in a traveling medical clinic that provided medical and dental care to people in rural parts of the country. This sparked an even greater interest in working with the poor, providing medical care, and advancing her Spanish speaking skills. She traveled to Honduras again after her junior and senior high school years and participated in subsequent medical clinics. Her three Honduras trips provided her a love for the Hispanic people and their beautiful language. Between trips to Honduras, Alexandra remained active in her local community. After each trip, her inspiration to volunteer grew leading her to mentor and tutor elementary children and to chair a backpack and school campaign that raised thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies for children in the Louisville area.
Alexandra’s passion for working with children began in high school and has continued to grow during her time in the Ingram Scholarship Program. Over the course of her first year at Vanderbilt University Alexandra became involved in many activities centered on helping young children through her involvement in several charitable groups in Nashville. She spent much of her time at Susan Gray School and working with Nashville Mobile Market (NMM) and Habitat for Humanity. In all of these organizations, Alexandra was given the opportunity to help grow an organization and better understand the workings of non-profits.
Throughout her sophomore year Alexandra continued her involvement with the NMM, serving as the Assistant Director of Community Outreach. Alexandra also began working with Vanderbilt WishMakers, the college branch of Make-A-Wish, as the Volunteer Coordinator. Alexandra remained an involved member of both of these organizations during her junior year, serving as the Direct of Community Outreach for the NMM and the Vice President of Wishmakers. In these organizations, Alexandra is blessed to have the opportunity to both serve the community and lead her fellow students. Her work with these organizations this year has solidified her desire to pursue a career in nursing upon completing her undergraduate degree.
This summer, Alexandra will be completing her Ingram summer project in Udaipur, India through the Foundation for Sustainable Development. While there, Alexandra will be working in the maternal health department of Jatan Sansthan, a local NGO. Alexandra will return in the fall to serve as the President of WishMakers and the Journey to Health intern at Faith Family Medical Center, a local clinic that serves the working uninsured.
Alexandra is honored to be involved in the Ingram Scholarship Program and is thrilled to see what is in store for her senior year.