One Week Left in Lima
Ian's final days as a Yampu-sponsored MEDLIFE intern, painting staircases and witnessing the communities he's served all summer.
One Week Left
Crazy that Ian has just over one week left here in Lima, Peru. It has been an amazing summer and he can't believe everything he has seen, worked on and created while working with MEDLIFE. He is so proud to have served these communities and can't wait to see more community development projects that are in the plans, that will help all of the communities in the future. For his second to last week, he spent a lot of time in the field again.
Week Ten
A Day of Purpose
Painting staircases, building community, celebrating together.
Hands to the Work
Ian and community members paint the MEDLIFE-built staircases, transforming concrete into a shared accomplishment.
Ready to Celebrate
The newly painted staircases stand complete, a visible mark of infrastructure that will serve the community for years.
Champagne and Connection
The community gathers to inaugurate the staircases, smashing bottles and celebrating the work that binds them together.
The Reality Beyond the Visit
In the following days, Ian visited the communities where MEDLIFE works to show volunteers the realities patients live in. It was sobering to witness the daily struggles these families face—struggles that, for visitors, last only a few hours, but for residents persist day in and day out, often for a lifetime. In these communities, there is no running water. The higher families live up the mountainside, the more they pay for water delivery, with drivers exploiting their isolation by charging inflated prices. Without payment, there is no water. It's one more burden layered onto lives already stretched thin.
Week Ten in the Field
The Reality of Daily Life
What MEDLIFE volunteers witness in the communities they serve.
Water Containers, Daily Struggle
Community members manage water delivery in hillside settlements where access means carrying containers up steep terrain.
The Cost of Elevation
Higher on the mountainside means higher water prices, as drivers exploit the distance and difficulty of delivery.
Life in the Communities
Families navigate daily challenges with resilience, living the realities that volunteers see for just a few hours.
A Moment of Stillness in Barranco
To end the week, Ian visited Barranco, Lima's hipster district, and found his way to The Life Style Concept Store—his favorite plant store in the city. Surrounded by greenery and the quiet hum of the city beyond, he sat with his thoughts, letting the abundance of plants settle his mind. It was exactly what he needed before his final days in Peru: a pause, a breath, a reminder that rest comes in small moments.
Meet Ian
A MEDLIFE volunteer from the University of Vermont, driven by biology and community development.
From Hamilton to Lima
Ian grew up in Hamilton, New Jersey, and came to the University of Vermont to study biology with a minor in Community & International Development. His first MEDLIFE brigade to Cusco, Peru during freshman year changed everything. Now, as a MEDLIFE Volunteer Affairs Intern, he's back in Lima working to connect his science background with sustainable community development.
Leader and Mentor
At UVM, Ian serves as president of MEDVIDA, the university's local MEDLIFE chapter, and mentors two students, Keshon and Kiki. He also volunteers on the pediatric floor at the University of Vermont Medical Center. His leadership extends beyond campus—he's a member of the UVM Triathlon club and brings the same commitment to every role he takes on.
Outdoors and Community
When he's not in the field, Ian is hiking, snowboarding, or camping in the mountains. His passion for the outdoors mirrors his drive to serve vulnerable communities. This internship represents his goal: to use his biology major and development expertise to help bring medical access and lasting change to the people he's come to know in Peru.
From Hamilton to Lima
Ian grew up in Hamilton, New Jersey, and came to the University of Vermont to study biology with a minor in Community & International Development. His first MEDLIFE brigade to Cusco, Peru during freshman year changed everything. Now, as a MEDLIFE Volunteer Affairs Intern, he's back in Lima working to connect his science background with sustainable community development.
Leader and Mentor
At UVM, Ian serves as president of MEDVIDA, the university's local MEDLIFE chapter, and mentors two students, Keshon and Kiki. He also volunteers on the pediatric floor at the University of Vermont Medical Center. His leadership extends beyond campus—he's a member of the UVM Triathlon club and brings the same commitment to every role he takes on.
Outdoors and Community
When he's not in the field, Ian is hiking, snowboarding, or camping in the mountains. His passion for the outdoors mirrors his drive to serve vulnerable communities. This internship represents his goal: to use his biology major and development expertise to help bring medical access and lasting change to the people he's come to know in Peru.
Ian's Path to Purpose
Ian first got involved with MEDLIFE at the University of Vermont by joining his local chapter during freshman year. That summer, his first brigade to Cusco, Peru changed his life. By sophomore year, he became Vice President and Brigades Officer, and that summer traveled on his second brigade to Esmeraldas, Ecuador—where he first learned about the Lima internship opportunity. In his junior year, he became chapter President. Now, as a MEDLIFE Volunteer Affairs Intern, Ian is connecting his Biology major and Community & International Development minor through the work he does here: planning and implementing sustainable community development projects that bring medical access to vulnerable communities.
Give Back Initiative