It all started with a poster.
Hirsh Sandesara saw a simple flyer for the Service Opportunities in Leadership program in the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy in his first semester at Duke. Intrigued by the program, Hirsh contacted Professor Alma Blount, the director of the Hart Leadership Program, the parent organization of SOL.
The SOL program offers a two-tiered research opportunity to students who are eager to incorporate academic experiences with real world interactions. During his first summer internship with SOL, Hirsh worked in Albuquerque, NM, as an advocate for homeless patients at a health care clinic. To achieve his goal of designing “more coherent medical treatment systems for the homeless,” Hirsh interviewed many homeless people about their experiences and satisfaction levels with the clinic. The following fall, he presented a policy solution based on his research to Professor Blount.
“There are so many opportunities for funding for these programs,” Hirsh observes. His summer in New Mexico was funded by grants from SOL, and the summer after his sophomore year he traveled halfway across the globe to continue his “real world” investigation of health care systems. At the rural health clinic in Gujarat, India, Hirsh interviewed local villagers about their satisfaction levels with the clinic and its facilities. “The research I did was useful to the director [of the clinic], it wasn’t just academic,” Hirsh says. Again, he presented the results of his research to Professor Blount the following fall.
Professor Blount praises Hirsh, noting that he “engaged in disciplined critical reflection about both the process and the content of his research [in India].” When he returned to campus in the fall, Hirsh “incorporated what he had learned from the entire process into his work with Duke's Global Health Initiative.”
As an Angier B. Duke Scholar, Hirsh had access to funding from the Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows for his summer in India. “It’s been a really rewarding experience,” Hirsh notes of SOL. “Professors who are interested in the same things you are and funding for these things are just a simple Duke search away.” These resources were invaluable to Hirsh during his involvement with the SOL program. “I really lucked out in finding the SOL program,” Hirsh points out. “It’s a great central resource for civic engagement.”
After graduation, Hirsh plans to attend medical school or go into health care consulting. “I will make a difference,” he declares confidently.
Profile written by Katherine Tiedemann (Trinity ’07)
Hirsh Sandesara saw a simple flyer for the Service Opportunities in Leadership program in the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy in his first semester at Duke. Intrigued by the program, Hirsh contacted Professor Alma Blount, the director of the Hart Leadership Program, the parent organization of SOL.
The SOL program offers a two-tiered research opportunity to students who are eager to incorporate academic experiences with real world interactions. During his first summer internship with SOL, Hirsh worked in Albuquerque, NM, as an advocate for homeless patients at a health care clinic. To achieve his goal of designing “more coherent medical treatment systems for the homeless,” Hirsh interviewed many homeless people about their experiences and satisfaction levels with the clinic. The following fall, he presented a policy solution based on his research to Professor Blount.
“There are so many opportunities for funding for these programs,” Hirsh observes. His summer in New Mexico was funded by grants from SOL, and the summer after his sophomore year he traveled halfway across the globe to continue his “real world” investigation of health care systems. At the rural health clinic in Gujarat, India, Hirsh interviewed local villagers about their satisfaction levels with the clinic and its facilities. “The research I did was useful to the director [of the clinic], it wasn’t just academic,” Hirsh says. Again, he presented the results of his research to Professor Blount the following fall.
Professor Blount praises Hirsh, noting that he “engaged in disciplined critical reflection about both the process and the content of his research [in India].” When he returned to campus in the fall, Hirsh “incorporated what he had learned from the entire process into his work with Duke's Global Health Initiative.”
As an Angier B. Duke Scholar, Hirsh had access to funding from the Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows for his summer in India. “It’s been a really rewarding experience,” Hirsh notes of SOL. “Professors who are interested in the same things you are and funding for these things are just a simple Duke search away.” These resources were invaluable to Hirsh during his involvement with the SOL program. “I really lucked out in finding the SOL program,” Hirsh points out. “It’s a great central resource for civic engagement.”
After graduation, Hirsh plans to attend medical school or go into health care consulting. “I will make a difference,” he declares confidently.
Profile written by Katherine Tiedemann (Trinity ’07)