Last Day
Our final day was a gray one. Usually when we wake up the kitchen is buzzing with laughter and conversation from the women and men of Mt. Zion AME who prepare breakfast for us eat each morning. However, today the kitchen was quiet, and empty. Reverend Ziglar arrived at 7:30 am, and greeted us all and continued sharing bits and pieces of why she does what she does with us, making us love her even more. She insists on taking us to Bojangles on our way out, and we follow her to a restaurant en route and talk for a while. It was so rewarding to meet someone who is so heavily invested in the community and making sure that the students she hosts get to know and become involved with the community. She has so many community based programs, including the food pantry that was remodeled by Holy Cross University students. She is an effortless leader in her community and the church and had a lot of wisdom to share with the group since our arrival the previous Sunday. In a profession that truly is male dominated she has definitely earned her place as the leader of her congregation. I learned from her that there is always something that you can do, especially for your community. The Wake Forest bubble can be easy to get trapped in, and even more so sometimes we become complacent with this world. Even as a “townie” it’s been so easy to forget the community that I call home. I’m way more willing to venture out of my comfort zone after this break, and I think that applies for the other participants as well. As a majority of the participants want to pursue careers in medicine, we need to continue thinking about the impact of public health institutions, like the nonprofits and clinics we work for, on the field of evidence-based medicine that we are prepared for at Wake Forest.