USF Track Athlete Interns in Kenya and Returns with a Mission

Priester-Veasley, a sociology major who runs the 4x100 relay and the 60-meter indoor, will apply to medical school and focus on obstetrics and gynecology.

Tell us about your internship.

The whole experience was very social. A lot of us were pre-med, but everyone was in public health. I ended up living with two other people from my program, and we clicked from the start. We talked all the time, binge-watched television shows, and just had a great time together. We worked at the same hospital, so we had breakfast together, walked to work, texted throughout the day, and had similar undergraduate classwork despite going to different colleges and universities around the United States.

You worked in labor and delivery at Kisumu County Referral Hospital in Kisumu, Kenya. How was that experience?

I had so much fun. At first, I didn’t know I wanted to pursue becoming an OB/GYN, but I thought it would be something cool to try. Throughout my time at the hospital, I saw the relationships between the doctors and other health care workers. It was obviously very professional, but it was also amicable and very people-centered, and it made me believe that I can do this.

I am very personable, so it was easy for me to build relationships with patients, allowing me to understand what they are going through and make each workday enjoyable. Seeing the labor part, I wasn’t scared, but it definitely was a determining factor in whether I was up to the challenge of this profession. I had fun building relationships with families and seeing their progression after birth, all the way through their follow-up appointments. It felt so rewarding to be a part of that process.

What else did you do during your internship?

I spent a lot of time working in the Antenatal Clinic at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital doing some family planning, birth preparations, as well as getting experience in labor and delivery. I also had the opportunity to work with people in antenatal care because of the age of the child, with the child being so young. We worked on their immunizations, including rotavirus, HPV, and yellow fever, to help decrease the mortality rate of those under the age of 5 and create a larger, long-lasting population in Kenya.

Now that you’re back on the Hilltop, what are your next steps?

My goal is to finish my last year at USF, have a good season on the track and field team, graduate, and walk across the stage with a degree in my hand. After that, I plan on applying to med school.