My name is Lindsey Hundemer and I am a Spanish Language and International Health major with a minor in Nonprofit Leadership. Through my classes and work/internship experiences at Clemson and abroad, I have developed a passion for global health and emergency management that I hope to pursue in future positions.

 One of the experiences that shaped me most during my four years at Clemson was my semester long internship with the nonprofit GirlUp Greenville. This was a requirement to complete my nonprofit minor that ended up being one of the most rewarding projects I have been a part of. GirlUp is an after-school mentorship program for middle and high school girls in the Greenville area; not only do they receive homework help and individual success planning, but they have unique opportunities to shadow jobs, intern over the summer, and learn life skills like resume building, fitness and wellness, etc. As Program Intern, I was able to see how a nonprofit works “behind the scenes” and was part of the team that created the program curriculum for the brand-new high school program at Berea High School. The five months that I was at GirlUp, I learned so much about what it takes to run a nonprofit, the empathy and leadership of its staff, and more technical skills such as creating material with Canva and building a program from scratch. This program and these girls touched my heart and made me aware of the need for programs like this that empower girls to feel like valued members of the community.

Not only do I have interest in women’s health and female empowerment, but also the needs of underserved populations in a community in terms of basic healthcare. While I studied abroad in Costa Rica, I was able to conduct research that identified the social, political, and economic factors that reduced the ability of women to receive proper education, care, and resources regarding to menstrual hygiene.

These experiences and projects along with my combined four years of classes at Clemson has changed my life and my perspective for the better.  I came into my freshman year with the goal of being a physician’s assistant and came out with a brand new skill set including cultural competence, humility, and a desire to dive deeper into the underlying problems that limit the ability for underserved populations to live the best, healthiest life possible.