Source: Ciudad Nueva Uruguay – Paraguay (Dicembre 2012)
The story of a young Medical student from Paraguay, who is committed in her studies, committed to others, but sticks to her values
A young twenty year-old with a beautiful smile, fresh and simple, that’s how Alejandra Giménez looks. She is studying the second year of Medicine in Asunción, Paraguay, where she lives with her parents and a younger brother. With lots of enthusiasm, Alejandra tells about her commitment at the University, in the scientific and student associations. All these commitments and activities obviously take time from her studies, and she needs to leave out many things she would like to do, but she manages all these because she gives attention to her values. That’s why she meets regularly with the other young people from the Focolare, where she finds all the support she needs.
But let’s hear it from her.
“I attended a Medicine Conference, in which they discussed about the brain death and organ donation and there I decided to organize an awareness campaign on this subject. I got in touch with the Scientific Society of Medical Students at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA) and now I have taken up the responsibility of director at the Department of Medical Education. Together with three of my classmates, Eliana Duarte, Aracy Do Nascimento and Lilian Carrera, we studied this topic, and did a scientific research on the awareness and diffusion of organ donation among medical students. This study was selected to represent my University at an important academic meeting in Curitiba, Brazil; and also in September 2013, at an international conference in the United Arab Emirates”.
She conducted another research study on the “False alcohol test results” on car drivers. This study deals with common “beliefs” among youngsters, for instance the one that says that using a mouthwash or cough syrup will alter the test results. Road accidents are the major cause of death among the youth in Paraguay, and therefore alcohol, accidents and organ donation are all closely related topics.
Alejandra has also been elected to other scientific student associations, and she continued to organize awareness initiatives: one on cardiovascular health, another on breast cancer and on diabetes, to give some examples. Besides all this, she is involved, together with her classmates, in many other projects in the coming year, such as the “Conferences on Research formation for Medical students”.
“Of course –she acknowledges–, I do many things and it could be that I won’t be able to accomplish everything, but I prefer to aim high; afterwards, if I am not able to attain all those goals, other classmates will take them ahead”.
She has no regrets in spending her energies for others and the smile on her face is a good proof of it!
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