Hi everyone! My name is Mehmet Acikel. I am a rising sophomore on the pre-med track, studying biochemistry and minoring in global health technologies. I am originally from New Jersey, and my favorite hobbies include playing basketball and trying new cultural food. I am excited to embark on this two-month journey of learning and growth. I am excited to learn more about the culture, history, and people of Malawi. It is a blessing to have this opportunity, and I hope to give back as best I can.
My interest in global health began during my junior year of high school. At the time, I wrote my extended essay on the Mediterranean commensality, the act of eating together, and how it creates health benefits for both communities and individuals. I found the social and cultural dimensions of healthcare fascinating, and I read multiple books in the medical anthropology space, which furthered my interest in global health.
Since coming to Rice, I have had the opportunity to engage with the Rice 360 Global Health Club as part of the special topics committee and with the Rice Association for African Development, where I helped design an improved complementary food packet to address malnutrition in Nigeria. Both of these experiences furthered my interest in approaching global health from a technical standpoint, which led me to this internship.
Katie and I plan to focus on receiving feedback for two projects this summer: a tourniquet trainer and a lung-ultrasound traines used to simulate different lung pathologies. I am eager to also work on projects with the students from MUBAS, as everyone has been super kind and motivated. This summer, I hope to develop a project combining hardware with software, as I am interested in learning about the cohesive development of medical devices. As someone with little experience with hardware but a decent amount of exposure to software, it will be an excellent opportunity to learn from students in Malawi and expand my skill set.
After multiple long flights, we arrived in Malawi yesterday around noon. In our first two days here, it has been great to explore different markets and meet the amazing people we will be working with this summer. Before this trip, my family was fortunate enough to find a contact in Malawi, so Katie and I could also meet with him today. He runs a school called Bedir, which is 5 minutes away from Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Having someone like him as a contact point is such a blessing. Next week, since it is Eid (an Islamic holiday), I plan to go and distribute food with him in some villages around Blantyre. I am excited to meet and speak with some of the high school students at his school, who have aspirations of studying college abroad in Europe and other countries.
As someone who enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures, I am excited to share food with, build connections with, and learn from more people. Whenever I travel, I find myself in awe of how vast and beautiful our world is. I cannot wait to learn more about Malawi and myself through this trip. I plan to reflect deeply on my experiences here and bring what I have learned back to the US. Specifically, learning more Chichewa before I leave will be great!
Looking forward to these next two months. Thanks for reading!