“Go after the things you want and don’t let anyone or anything hold you back.”

One Linganore Alumni has certainly heeded her own advice.

After 50 years of graduating classes, Linganore alumni are spread all over the world. One recent graduate is now living in Tabaka, Kenya.

Breana McKinnon, 2009 graduate, is doing nursing work in a small village in the western part of Kenya, Nyanza Province,  called Tabaka. She keeps in contact with people at home through her blog.

McKinnon studied nursing at Salisbury University. After college she moved on to research different organizations that focused on global healthcare.

She found the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), an organization that shared her personal goals for world health care.

She was given her initial orientation as a nurse of the CMMB, and shortly thereafter was given her first assignment– a year of nursing in Kenya.

Her experiences, such as arrival in Africa and just what nursing is like, are detailed in her blog. This was how her former teacher, Mrs. Theresa Wiltrout, discovered her accomplishments.

Wiltrout first met McKinnon in her AP Biology class, but continued to keep contact with her once she graduated.

McKinnon’s blog is updated regularly, with both written entries and photographs about her experiences. There are photographs of the village she is in, Tabaka, as well as some of the patients she has encountered through nursing.

McKinnon writes “I was transferred to the female surgical ward because of a ‘nursing shortage’. I laugh at the term nursing shortage because it implies that the other wards are adequately staffed. You walk into people’s lives. Some patients bless you while others slap you,” she wrote.

 Also accessible from her blog is a link to the CMMB website, which goes directly to Breana’s personal donation page, which helps to cover the costs of her board and travel in Kenya.

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The blog entries do not limit details to work only. It talks about the CMMB and some other experiences she has had in Africa apart from nursing. Included are sightseeing opportunities and restaurants that she has visited.

Apart from nursing, McKinnon is exploring the culture around her. She wrote on her experience at Nairobi National Park. “It’s not your ideal safari, but, I still had fun.”

McKinnon began her time in Africa as a nurse in the maternity ward. Her blog details accounts of dealing with babies born prematurely or mothers that needed assistance during birth.

Before her CMMB assignment, McKinnon had the opportunity to do health research in India through the University of Maryland. “Working in India really sparked my interest in international healthcare.” She went on to apply to the Peace Corps.

The organization did accept her, but placed her in the job of a health educator. “I wanted to work specifically as a nurse.” McKinnon says. This led her to find the Catholic Medical Mission Board and she was able to pursue the career of her dream.

*Click here to read McKinnon’s full interview 

McKinnon misses “Cheese!” the most. “Kenyans don’t eat cheese for some ungodly reason.  Besides food, I miss my friend and family.” said McKinnon

McKinnon provided The Lance with a full interview of her life now, and advice for current Lancers.

McKinnon will continue her work in Kenya for the remainder of this year, but her career in global healthcare is far from over. “Although I love Kenya, I am beginning to realize I’m not going to be living here forever. My goals are changing from providing quality patient care to patient empowerment.”

WORDS OF WISDOM

“First find something you are passionate about and pursue it.”

“Go after the things you want and don’t let anyone or anything hold you back.”

“Never feel like you are stuck or have to conform to anyone preconceived idea of what a ‘normal life’ is. If you want to move halfway across the world do it.”

“Be selfish and young, this is the only time in your life you can truly dedicate to you.”

“Live your life to the fullest and go after what you want, at the end of the day the only one holding you back in yourself.”

“Remember every choice you make in your life has consequences whether they be good or bad. So do something you love, because you will be doing it the rest of your life.”

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