Her Campus: What year are you?
Meghana Venkatesh: 2016
HC: Where are you from?
MV: Austin, TX
HC: What is your major?
MV: Biology
HC: What do you plan to do after college?
MV: Right after college, I want to volunteer in the health care field, preferably with One Sight. It is a charitable organization that gives people in developing areas free eye exams and glasses; they have multiple clinics and I hope to serve internationally. After that, I am going to Optometry school, or maybe get a master’s in Public Health. I am leaning more towards Optometry, but Panama has really made me consider a career in public health.
HC: What are some organizations you’re involved in?
MV: MSC Town Hall, One Love, and Global Medical Brigades.
HC: Tell us a little about MSC Town Hall.
MV: Town Hall basically brings musical performers to campus, and as an organization, we plan and run those events. My committee, Coffeehouse, puts on a two hour concert every other Wednesday in the MSC that showcases Texas A&M students’ talents.
HC: Tell us about your experience with getting Kevin Hart to TAMU.
MV: That is one of my favorite parts about MSC Town Hall, helping bring performers to campus we know the students will love, and Kevin Hart definitely caused a stir. I love watching stand up, so I was really excited to see his new routine too! I learned a lot from the experience, and even though it got a bit crazy at some points, I was glad that thousands of students were able to see him perform.
HC: Tell us a little about One Love.
MV: One Love is a social justice and environmental community service group. Our goal is to spread love throughout the community and all areas of life. One of our upcoming projects is We A.R.E (Aggies for Respect and Equality), which is a series of events promoting gender equality, such as a panel on women in the workplace; a screening of Girl Rising, a documentary about educational gaps confronted by girls worldwide; and discussions to spread awareness of domestic violence.
HC: How was your trip to Panama with Global Medical Brigades?
MV: I went to the Coclé region of Panama with 30 other students from our school’s chapter of Global Brigades. Even though the trip wasn’t long, our brigade chapter became really, really close (I think it was the lack of cell phones) and we still keep in touch with each other! We fund raised throughout the year to buy medicine for the trip and when we got to Panama, we set up a mobile health clinic for the surrounding area. We sat with doctors in doctor consults, worked in triage taking vitals, and even got to pull teeth! It was by far one of the best experiences I’ve had, and I cannot wait to do it again.
HC: What did you take from the trip?
MV: Well I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do after college, I don’t think most of us are, but after the trip I knew I was in the right field. I want to be a healthcare professional, and be able to help people like I was able to Panama. It was definitely the most meaningful thing I have done, and I have never been so happy with what I was doing. When we were there, we got to help people, give them the medical attention they needed, and even educate the children about many health concerns they can prevent. I felt like we genuinely made a difference in people’s lives on that trip, and I want to be able to say that about my job every day.