Barbara Saucedo Gonzalez, Junior BBMB major, shares about their internship with the SOS Clinic in College Place, Washington
“My name is Barbara Saucedo Gonzalez, a third-year BBMB Major at Whitman, and thanks to the Whitman Internship Grant I have been given the chance to assist the SOS Clinic on 1200 SE 12th St Suite 4, College Place. Although my internship has lasted 3 months, the time I have spent at the clinic has been fulfilling and meaningful.
From helping patients feel welcomed and aiding in interpreting their lab results, to helping create a new program for type 2 diabetics along with prediabetics in the Walla Walla community. Every day at the clinic has been jam-packed with work and teachable moments. I am especially proud of the project me and a fellow WIG recipient, Phoebe Nguyen as well as other volunteers, put together with the guidance and support of the SOS clinic staff and board.
Project A1C has been a program that I had the benefit of seeing take form from an idea, to paper and finally in person. Doing the research and educating myself on Diabetes and everything it entails from a pathological and clinical viewpoint and taking that knowledge and putting together a presentation along with resources for people within my community, has been an amazing experience. Through this project and under the guidance of the amazing members of the SOS Clinic, I have been able to grow my skills in project management and organization within a clinical setting.
Finding our target group and coming up with a plan that appeals to them and their needs has been a 
process with a lot of attention to detail such as coming up with incentives, establishing accessibility and maintaining realistic plans/goals. With this program, we hope to reach the members of this community who have difficulty finding the resources and help they need for their health and offer them aid however they may need it. This project is also serving as a study to test the utility of this 3-month program for efficacy by measuring the A1C levels of our patients before and after their enrollment and attendance of our informational workshops. We have informed, assisted, and checked in with our participants on a biweekly basis along with the workshops. Through these means, we have been keeping track of blood sugar levels and overall health of our patients/participants. It is our goal to see a total of 1-2% reduction in their A1C levels by the end of the 3-month program. It is my personal goal to set up a strong foundation for this program, so it can extend beyond the 3-month run time and well into the future.
Once again, I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve at the SOS Clinic and help those within my community who are often overlooked, and I look forward to the rest of my time here with everyone and in the future as well.”