Ruth Juana Calle Kasa

UPDATE: Ruth graduated in 2008 and is working on specializing in pediatrics.
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Ruth, 23, is in her 5th year of studying medicine at UMSA. This semester she will complete her work as an intern in a hospital in La Paz. Ruth is already giving back to the community: together with other past & present scholarship students, she initiated the new Health Screening Program.
Ruth lives with her parents and two siblings in El Alto. She and and her family are members of the Ballivián Monthly Meeting, Santidad, where Ruth helps with teaching Sunday school.
Ruth’s studies are being sponsored by a private donor.

"I am from Roama in the altiplano, now we are living in El Alto. We are four, my little brother, me and my parents. I want to specialize, which means more study, up to six years more. That’s a lot, but maybe I can find something shorter. My parents wouldn’t be able to support me for that long. We had to move to the city for work. I study from 7:30 am until 7pm each day. Before without the scholarship we had to spend our little money on books and materials, now we have enough for everything. It’s very interesting to continue to learn, as medicine is always evolving. We are learning the very newest information. We have a lot of practical experience in the hospitals, also in the community to give public health talks. We give these talks to give back to the community to thank them for their support because we are in a public University. I also work with the youth in my church and do health education with them."