International Experiences: Rohini Kopparam, International Internship in Guatemala

Tell us a little about yourself (name, where you are from, academic interests, etc.)
My name is Rohini Kopparam, and I am from Irvine, California. I am majoring in Bioengineering and am also pursuing a minor in Chemistry and Bioethics.

When and where did you study abroad/do your short- term abroad experience?
During the summer of 2014, I interned abroad in Santiago Atitlan, a rural, indigenous town in the highlands of Guatemala. I participated in the International Internship Program offered by Penn.

What did you learn about your field of study from your study abroad/short- term abroad experience? What did you learn about the culture in which you had your experience?
I learned a great deal about health care in developing nations. Though there isn’t a way to encompass everything, the most important thing I learned about living abroad is to go without assumptions. A big mistake is to assume certain facts, in my case, about the health care system, which could negatively impact my research. The indigenous Maya community within which I was living has strong ties to their spirituality, so it was really interesting to learn about the spiritual causes of disease that biomedicine often ignore .

What did you learn about yourself from your experience?
I learned a great deal about relating to different kinds of people. Not only did I learn a lot about connecting to the narratives of a developing community, but I also learned to abandon any preconceived notions about health care that I held. Working with a group of eight other Penn students in such close proximity also forced me to rationalize all my decisions efficiently. What this means is that when 9 Penn students get together to decide travel plans and research goals. It can be difficult to arrive at one outcome easily, so I learned that, if I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish, we’d be one step closer to agreeing on a satisfying goal.

Give an example of an experience you wouldn’t have had if you had not studied abroad.
If I didn’t intern abroad, I would never have been able to improve my Spanish language skills. Also, I never would have met some of my fellow Penn students doing amazing work. Finally, I wouldn’t have been able to jump into a beautiful lake almost daily and travel so inexpensively in a country where the history is exposed for us to soak it in.

When did you start thinking of studying abroad/participating in a short- term abroad experience?
I started thinking about applying for an abroad experience in the winter before my internship. I knew that I wanted to experience living in a foreign country during my college career, but I also knew that, given the extensive requirements of the BE curriculum, I didn’t want to devote an entire semester away from Penn. I think the International Internship Program (IIP) was a great experience because I received funding and was able to explore my interests outside of BE, including women’s public health .

How did you decide on a program? Tell us a little about the program you chose.
I had applied for many research programs, but IIP was the only international experience that I applied for. I was choosing between a lab research program and IIP, and having already worked in a lab for a summer, I decided IIP would be better. IIP is offered through Penn Global and provides placements all around the world in different fields, such as business, social impact, and health care. I specifically chose the Guatemala Health Initiative because I am really interested in Latin American cultures and could improve my Spanish through this experience.

What advice would have for students interested in studying abroad or a short- term abroad experience?
I would suggest applying to as many programs as you can possibly find. Though the deadlines are all really close together, you can usually write up one application and modify it for specific programs. Also, apply for IIP — it funds programs all around the world and takes place during the summer, so you won’t be missing out on a semester of Penn.