This spring, 10 Walla Walla University students joined Center for Humanitarian Engagement’s annual Guatemala mission trip, serving communities with limited access to healthcare during a 10-day experience shaped by service, adaptability and collaboration.
Working alongside healthcare professionals and students from Loma Linda University, WWU premed and predental students assisted with dental procedures and medical clinics while seeing firsthand what whole-person care can look like in a global setting.
For Rosalind Osei-Bonsu, WWU pre-health major, even a small role in the clinic helped clarify her calling. “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,” she said.
The partnership with LLU gave WWU students a close view of healthcare as both profession and mission. Students worked beside people further along the same path, learning not only from procedures and patient interactions, but also from the shared commitment to serve with compassion. Together, the two Adventist institutions created a learning environment where students could connect academic preparation with urgent human need.
The experience also challenged students to serve when circumstances were unpredictable. Power outages, changing schedules, limited resources and long travel days became part of the lesson. “Healthcare isn’t solely about having the best tools or environment,” Osei-Bonsu said. “It’s about showing up, adapting and doing your best for those you serve.”
Students also joined volunteers from Central California Conference Adventist schools on construction projects, including work that supported a local Pathfinder community. Afterward, the group witnessed the first baptisms using the accessible pathways and riverbank infrastructure their service helped create.
For WWU students, the trip offered more than clinical exposure or volunteer hours. It provided a living picture of Adventist education in action: institutions working together, students learning through service and future healthcare professionals discovering that compassion begins by showing up.
