Nathan and Emily Kim, third-year Drake Pharmacy students, as well as their brother Sam Kim, Health Sciences ‘25, have been going on mission trips to Honduras since high school. Now, they’re leading groups of Drake students to share the same impactful experience.
The Kim triplets and their parents first began serving with El Ayudante with their hometown church. The organization, which translates to “the Helper” in Spanish, is based in Lo De Reina, a small community in Comayagua, Honduras. The work they’ve done with this organization has inspired them to keep going every year since.
After continuing to serve with their church through their second year at Drake, Emily had an idea. She felt called by both her faith and her future healthcare profession to get more students like herself and her siblings involved in these mission trips, specifically those who could provide service in El Ayudante’s medical clinic. She approached the clinic about bringing a small team of college students, and they were enthused.
“They wanted to see a new generation bring life into the mission work and the organization itself,” said Emily.
Working with the mission trip coordinator and Phi Delta Chi, her pharmacy fraternity here on campus, Emily was able to bring to fruition the first mission trip of Drake students during her first year in the professional pharmacy program. The first trip consisted of the Kim siblings and two other Drake students, and it grew from there with the support of a CPHS scholarship.
The Walbridge Scholarship, funded by alumna Mary Walbridge, PH’74, was created for students who exemplified Walbridge’s commitment to community service and medical mission trips. When the Kims learned that this scholarship was available, and that it had not been used since the pandemic, they were able to secure the untouched funding to reimburse the students who went on the mission trip to Honduras. Last year, they were able to cover travel costs for 11 students, and this year was the largest trip yet; with 19 students on the mission team, all of whom were able to secure scholarships as well.
This year’s trip, which took place during Drake’s J-Term, was comprised of multiple pharmacy students as well as a handful of students in other healthcare professions such as nursing and kinesiology. The pharmacy students were able to provide the Honduran patients in El Ayudante’s clinic with basic medication counseling, and they also helped with medication inventory. The organization also provides dental, nursing, and optometry services; making the opportunity incredibly valuable to all of the students who attended. The team even traveled into the mountains to see patients and provide medical screenings, such as blood pressure checks.
“The experience of being in a third-world country puts into perspective why we want to become healthcare providers,” Emily said. “It’s not for the money. It’s to see the smiles on people’s faces when they get the care they need, and to see them improve to where they’re not in pain anymore.”
Outside of assisting with medical care, the mission team took part in several other labor-intensive but crucial projects for the Honduran people. Some of these included making cement for flooring, building adobe houses, and installing clean water filters, water tanks, and latrines. They also assisted with El Ayudante’s learning center, where they led fun activities to teach STEM fundamentals to the children.
One of the reasons why the Kim’s consider these trips so meaningful is because of the unique culture they have been exposed to. They recall a particularly special memory in which they held a night for families to come together at a church, where they witnessed just how important the building of deep relationships is to the Honduran people. Now, they have the privilege of seeing other students open their eyes to the culture for the first time just as they did.
“As a leader, it was incredibly rewarding to see all the newcomers experience a third-world country for the first time,” Nathan said. “I think in the beginning they were a little nervous to be in a completely different environment, but at the end they really embraced the Honduran community and worked super hard.”
This year’s trip was the largest student group El Ayudante has ever hosted, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive from both the North American and Honduran staff. Now, they even have a dedicated “Drake Week” on their calendars.
“It was so encouraging to watch these young adults fully embrace the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Honduran culture,” said Dr. Jeff Johnson, the physician who traveled with the students. “They worked hard and served selflessly. They all have plenty of stories to share.”
Although Nathan and Emily will soon enter their final year pharmacy rotations and Sam is off at optometry school, they hope that they can build on the legacy they started with El Ayudante and the Honduran people, even if they cannot lead the trips themselves.