Alumni
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Megan Nocita
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Megan is a senior studying Medicine, Health and Society and Spanish on the pre-med track. Through her service in education, medicine, and women’s empowerment, she has realized the challenges underprivileged populations face in exercising their rights and accessing essential services. These experiences have provided the foundation for Megan’s commitment to social justice and equality.
Megan’s interest in health disparities is the focal point of her studies and service. She enjoys volunteering at La Paz Clinic and Shade Tree Clinic, where she is a Spanish-English medical interpreter. She also served on the board of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), a pre-med organization, as a Spring Break Service Chair. With this group, she was able to lead a group of 20 Vanderbilt students to serve in mobile clinics in the rural region of Choluteca, Honduras. Through her work with these organizations, Megan realized her passion lies in immigrant healthcare. As a junior, she spent a semester in Uganda and Rwanda, where she completed an independent study project related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among refugees and underserved rural populations.
During the summer after her sophomore year, Megan's interest in immigrant healthcare led her to volunteer with Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) in Alajuelita, Costa Rica. Through FIMRC, Megan had the opportunity to work in an impoverished community of Nicaraguan immigrants living on the outskirts of San José. During her two months with the organization, she focused on addressing important health education issues and assisting with volunteer coordination. Along with daily clinic upkeep, she was able to assist in creating and implementing a health education curriculum for topics such as hypertension, asthma, pregnancy, stress management, and nutrition. She also created a volunteer manual to assist new volunteers in adjusting to clinic work as quickly as possible.
Outside of healthcare, Megan is passionate about the empowerment of women and children. At the Mary Parrish Center, a transitional housing program for victims of domestic violence, Megan designed outreach posters in Spanish and distributed them to locations throughout Nashville in order to reach more women. She also volunteers as a mentor at Big Brothers Big Sisters, and she is the Operations Coordinator for Camp Kesem Vanderbilt, a camp for children affected by a parent's cancer. Megan is incredibly grateful for the opportunities she has had in her first three years at Vanderbilt and abroad. She looks forward to her future service endeavors in an effort to achieve greater equality in her community, and she is excited to continue to be challenged by her peers and mentors within the Ingram Scholarship Program.