AMRITA–IUI Virtual Exchange
Honors Experience:
In Spring 2025, I was part of HON-H398 AMRITA–IUI Virtual Exchange, a virtual collaboration with Honors students from Indiana University Indianapolis and Amrita University in India. The course was about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on sustainability and global health.
In class, we discussed how various systems affect health outcomes in various areas of the world. Instead of learning about global issues around the world, we had to think about how these issues affected our fields. It was a personal and challenging experience.
I chose to use this experience for my Showcase 2 because it made me think differently about healthcare. It was not just about learning facts but also thinking about how these systems affected real life patients.
Artifacts:
For this showcase, I am including my SDG 13 Climate Action poster and an example of one of my discussion posts from the exchange.
The poster represents our collaborative work comparing sustainability efforts in Indiana and India, while connecting climate action to our future professions. The discussion post reflects my individual analysis and engagement with course themes, showing how I applied SDG concepts to healthcare and public health contexts.
Together, these artifacts show both teamwork and independent critical thinking.
Skills and Growth
Working on the SDG project helped me learn how to sort through information and focus on what actually matters. I had to compare two different regions, look at environmental efforts, and explain them clearly. That takes practice. It also relates to healthcare, where you have to review information quickly and decide what is important.
The discussion posts helped me get better at explaining my thoughts clearly. Writing for students in another country made me more aware of how I communicate. I had to be clear, respectful, and thoughtful in my responses.
The biggest shift for me was learning to think more about systems. Before this class, I thought about issues like climate change in a general way. Now I understand how things like air quality, policy, and access to resources directly affect patient health.
In Week 1, I wrote that I learned how social and cultural factors affect health. At the time, that was true, but I did not fully understand how deep those connections go.
Now I see healthcare differently. I understand that patients are affected by more than just biology. Environment, policy, and access all play a role. That mindset feels more aligned with the kind of provider I want to become.
As someone interested in becoming a Physician Assistant, especially in maternal and infant health, this experience helped me see how bigger systems influence individual outcomes. It made me more aware, more thoughtful, and more intentional about my future role in healthcare.
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