Jagdev Singh Saluja

GSO helped me develop Cross-Cultural Adaptability​. Our society is a global village – living and working abroad gave me the skills to engage better with East African stakeholders in healthcare, where I am now more inclined to pursue further research opportunities in the region, being acclimated with it. As well, without GSO, I never would have realized my passion for global health and advocacy. My experience helped further my understanding of areas of healthcare needing improvement in Low and Middle Income Countries. The internship provided practical applications of theoretical knowledge, and enabled me to bring back in-depth studies that contributed to broader academic research. My internship enriched me academically and professionally, where the practical research experience I gained has proved beneficial in pursuing further research opportunities. I received Western Science’s prestigious Dean’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program scholarship to pursue a more in-depth research project in Kenya this summer. I received multiple other research internship offers since my experience in Kenya concluded. In addition, I presented the research I conducted in Kenya at a Universities Canada Lunch and Learn session in October 2023, the Western Student Research Conference in September 2023, and at Western’s Africa Institute Advisory Board Meeting in November 2023. In March 2024, I paneled the Western Undergraduate Health and Research Conference, where I had the privilege of answering questions about global health research and discussing what I did during my GSO experience. My GSO experience has provided me numerous professional and academic opportunities. I have been able to present at conferences and network with esteemed professionals (through my role as a GSO Ambassador last year). I would love to help other students take GSO to even higher heights, so that we may help break barriers for all students to achieve highly through experiential learning in their respective fields.