When Robert Kruse was growing up, his hometown of Des Plaines, Illinois, did not offer many opportunities to experience cultural diversity. Now, this 24-year-old future doctor is a student at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, where he’s found an invaluable academic and social experience.
From an early age, Rob was drawn to biology and life sciences, and he excelled in science classes throughout high school. After being accepted to St. George’s University, Rob felt confident that withdrawing applications to other medical schools was the right choice. “I knew that SGU was a well-known and reputable school,” he explains.
The Beginning
Rob recently completed the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program at St. George’s University, and is now pursuing an MD under the university’s MPH/MD dual degree program. Rob has an edge over most first-year MD students, since he’s already become acclimated to the University and the island of Grenada.
“One of the hurdles I feared early on was adjusting to the island,” says Rob. “Coming to Grenada, I was worried that I would not have the social support and structure of my family and friends back home. But after a few days of orientation activities, I made many new friends who were in the same situation. I also found it easy to stay in touch with friends and family back home using Skype.”
Currently, Rob is the president of the Public Health Students Association, where students promote preventive medicine through educational activities within the school and the larger community.
“As president, my goal for this year is to collaborate more with other organizations on campus,” remarks Rob. “University-wide events will allow more people to get involved and promote public health and preventive medicine.”
Hands-On
A major advantage for the Public Health Students Association is its close relationship with the Grenada Public Health Association, through which students are afforded an opportunity to directly affect the community on this small island. Many St. George’s students become closely involved with the local community through classroom projects and volunteer work.
“An advantage of being here in Grenada is that we are able not just to construct a community health assessment, but actually carry out the health assessment in a particular community. Other schools only talk about the community health assessment. We have the unique opportunity to participate in a real world situation,” shares Rob.
International Experience
St. George’s University hosts a diverse group of students and faculty members from all over the globe. This eye-opening experience has been one that Rob will not soon forget. “It’s unique because it allows for varying perspectives in the classroom and can change how, as doctors, we approach a solution to a problem,” says Rob. “Through the diverse student body culture, this international experience will allow me to approach medicine from a new perspective.”
More information about St. George’s University is available at www.sgu.edu. Look for our pages on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, which can be linked to from our home page.