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Nearly 600 first year students at in the College of Pharmacy, College of
Nursing, College of Dentistry-Dental Hygiene, and School of Allied Medical
Professions participated during the Summer of 2005 in the Buckeye Book Community
program and read "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman. The students eagerly and excitedly met Ms. Fadiman in October of 2005 and enjoyed a series of engaging events with her.
A hands-on experience traveling to Merced, CA, the setting of the book, was a rich experience for our future health care professional students. The message of humanity and medicine is so profound in Ms. Fadiman's book that we believed an experience where visiting the setting of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, collaborate on a community service project while understanding and learning more about the Hmong culture was an educational and inspiring opportunity.
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| Pharmacy Scholar students |
Pharmacy Scholar students |
In preparation for this experience, the author of the book, Ms. Anne Fadiman,
Marilyn Mochel, Director of the Clinical Experience and Steve Roussos, Chairman of the Board of Directors and a Research Scientist, both from Healthy House in Merced, CA had helped us plan and collaborate. Ms. Mochel and Dr. Roussos were so eager and excited to hear about this initiative and planned a unique day for us in Merced. We traveled Friday, December 9th-Monday, December 12th and flew into San Francisco, stayed there, then took a bus to Merced (about a 2-2 1/2 hour drive). Here are some of the ideas Marilyn, Steve, and I prepared:
- Meeting some of the Hmong leaders mentioned in the text (Jonas Vangay is still in Merced)
- Learning about the Hmong culture through a Hmong panel of residents
- Interacting with the new incoming class at the University of California, Merced--they opened their doors this year and they have 1,000 new freshmen from diverse backgrounds, many of whom are 1st generation students
- Learning more about the Healthy House organization and the MATCH (Multidisciplinary Approach to Cross-Cultural Heath) program
- Possibly have a teleconference with Neil Ernst and Peggy Philps from The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
- Experience Hmong cuisine and Hmong culture through traditional garments and dance.
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| Pharmacy Scholar students |
Pharmacy Scholar students |
32 students and 4 faculty/staff from the College of Pharmacy and Division of Dental Hygiene traveled to California. Please view some of our photos from this experience!
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| Pharmacy Scholar students |
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