MEET THE TEAM
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| The QHO Guyana team with their directors at our annual banquet. |
Queen's Health Outreach is excited to introduce eight new peer educators to our Guyana Initiative! They have been working hard all year to prepare for this challenging task and are so exciting to begin their physical, sexual and mental health discussions in different classrooms within the city of Georgetown and the region of Berbice.
Meet Georgetown
Haylee just finished her third year studying Psychology and Theatre at Queen’s. So far, her year with QHO has been unexpected and challenging in all of the right ways! Haylee will be living in Georgetown over the course of the initiative and is eager to share her passion for healthy living with many of the students she will meet. She cannot wait to begin putting all of her hard work to use alongside her lovely teaching partners, and is excited to immerse herself into the Guyanese culture. Haylee is restless to begin the initiative and cannot wait to see what the next 7 weeks has in store!
Shannen has just finished her second year at Queen's, where she is studying psychology. She is passionate about health and wellness, with a particular interest in mental-health. She hopes to combine what she has learned from her psychology courses and her experience with QHO to offer her best while on initiative. Shannen will be living in Georgetown throughout initiative and is excited to partake in conversations with students regarding all aspects of health. She is eager to begin working alongside her incredible teaching partners, and to meet the students she will be interacting with for the next 7 weeks!
Manny is an incoming 3rd year student at Queen’s University. After being halfway through his undergraduate studies, he has decided to pursue Kinesiology as a foundation for his medical career. While orthopaedic surgery is his long-term goal, Manny has a strong appreciation for the multidimensional nature that is health. Growing up, he has become a consistent advocate for maintaining a healthy lifestyle as he strives to incorporate mental and physical health practices at both school and work. Whether its running Zumba classes at the gym or organizing mental health fundraisers for his program, Manny hopes to promote a similar appreciation for health in others. By joining QHO, he believes he can achieve just that. Having the opportunity to teach health and empower youth with such a like-minded team is one of the many things Manny is excited for this summer. It’s just a bonus that he gets to eat all the oxtail stew, learn the local dance moves, and make friends in a culture that he has come to love along the way. Manny recognizes that learning goes both ways, and he firmly believes that the next seven weeks will be no exception.
Shannon is a recent graduate from Queen's University's Global Development program. She is hoping to continue pursuing her love for international studies by travelling and pursuing further studies in her future. After spending the entire year preparing with QHO, she is looking forward to finally making her way to Georgetown, Guyana. She's excited to participate in the facilitation of QHO's peer to peer education program and cannot wait to see what the next 7 weeks hold!
Meet Berbice
Kate is a 4th year student at Queen’s University that studied sociology and art history during her undergrad. She has always had a passion for learning about health and this is what initially sparked her interest and led to her involvement with QHO. She is incredibly excited to depart for initiative as the team has worked hard this school year to prepare for their time in Guyana. Kate is looking forward to actively using the skills she has gained and practiced with QHO so far. She can’t wait to start teaching, learning and immersing herself into the Guyanese culture. When not teaching in the classroom, Kate is looking forward to involving herself in the Guyanese community, getting to know locals, playing with the kids and learning how to prepare traditional Guyanese meals. She cannot wait for the adventure that lays ahead for the Berbice teaching team.
Megan E has just finished her second year as a Life Sciences student at Queen's University. She aspires to be a science teacher, and to make a difference in the development of young minds. Megan is excited to use her educational background to initiate conversations on important health topics that she hopes will empower local youth to make informed choices regarding a healthy mind and body. She looks forward to learning from the people of Guyana, and becoming immersed in the incredible culture she has heard so much about. Megan can't wait to get started in the Berbice classrooms with her fellow peer educators, and to start sharing her passion for youth, health and education.
Megan B could not be more excited to promote health in Berbice, Guyana where she will be living for the next seven weeks! She is so happy that she gets to work alongside a team that she has grown to love throughout the year. Megan is going into her third year in Life Sciences where she is very passionate about learning how to keep the human body happy and healthy. She can’t wait to see all of the health lessons they have been working on throughout the year finally be put into place! Applying to QHO was one the best decisions that she has made since coming to Queen’s University. She can’t wait to talk, about mental, physical, and sexual health with the amazing students she knows she will meet!
Robbie has just graduated from his fourth year at Queen’s University in the Kinesiology program. He would like to work in healthcare, and specifically, he would like to pursue a career in physiotherapy. It is his passion to work with others to help them reach their full physical and academic potential, so that daily living and functioning are as stress free, and enjoyable as possible. He is very excited to have an opportunity to work with youth and provide tools, advice, and resources, necessary to build self-esteem and deal with obstacles to mental health. Along with his team, he will be teaching, and having open discussions about the essentials of healthy living in physical, mental, and sexual contexts. An important goal that he and his team have is helping to reduce the stigma surrounding many mental and sexual health topics, through spreading awareness, and using creative, interactive activities. Robbie cannot wait to meet the students in Berbice, Guyana! He is looking forward to a two-way learning experience throughout his time in the schools and the community.
