This spring, 10 Walla Walla University students joined the Center for Humanitarian Engagement’s annual Guatemala Mission Trip. During the 10-day trip, they served communities with limited access to healthcare, explored the country’s rich culture and history, and put classroom ideas into real-world perspectives through personal first-hand experiences.
Working alongside healthcare professionals and students from Loma Linda University, WWU pre-med and pre-dent students assisted with dental procedures and medical clinics while experiencing the realities of service in a global setting.
“Even a small role in the clinic showed me how much I enjoy being actively involved in patient care,” said Rosalind Osei-Bonsu, pre-health major. “This experience confirmed my interest in pursuing a healthcare career and reinforced my desire to be in environments where I can actively help people and make a real difference.”
For many students, studying healthcare is learned in classrooms, textbooks, and labs. However, this trip helped students discover what it means to serve when the lights go out, resources run low, and patients still arrive seeking care.
For Osei-Bonsu, the trip became much more than an opportunity to gain experience. “Despite the challenges, the patients remained patient, grateful, and trusting,” she said. “It reminded me that healthcare isn’t solely about having the best tools or environment. It’s about showing up, adapting, and doing your best for those you serve.”
Before arriving in Guatemala, Osei-Bonsu expected challenging conditions, but what surprised her most was the unpredictability of daily life. “Things didn’t always go as planned—power outages, schedule changes, long travel days—but we still had to keep working and helping patients,” she said. “It forced me to be more adaptable and patient.”
Osei-Bonsu’s family has long been involved in global mission work. She felt this experience deepened values she had grown up hearing about. “My dad’s dedication to mission work really sparked my interest in going,” she said. “It’s one thing to hear about service, but it’s another to be part of it.”
Students also collaborated with others from a variety of Central California Conference Adventist schools to help with several construction projects. After supporting a local Pathfinder community for Global Youth Day, both groups were invited to witness the first baptisms that utilized the accessible pathways and riverbank infrastructure created by their service.
This trip provided more than volunteer hours and clinical experience for students. It offered a clearer vision of what service can look like when compassion, adaptability, and purpose come together.
As Osei-Bonsu reflected on the experience, one lesson stood above the rest: “Service isn’t always easy or pleasant, but it’s incredibly rewarding.”
Far from home, in clinics lit by hope and fueled by determination, WWU students learned that the heart of healthcare is not found in technology, but in the simple act of showing up and serving with compassion.
To learn about WWU’s pre-professional programs, visit the Center for Health Professions at wallawalla.edu/pre-pro. To find more short-term mission and service opportunities like this one, visit wallawalla.edu/che.
Posted July 1, 2026.
