Caroline Raffin

UConn School of Nursing

I was born and raised in Fairview Park, Ohio, near Cleveland, Ohio. I currently attend the University of Connecticut as a nursing student, from which I hope to graduate in 2023.

In high school, I volunteered frequently: I helped out at women’s shelters, homeless shelters, nursing homes, and in childcare settings. In particular, I spent a lot of time volunteering at a church in downtown Cleveland, where I served meals to and interacted with homeless people, and five years volunteering at Youth Challenge, which paired a volunteer with a child with a physical disability. At UConn, I did outreach programs through UConn Athletics. One event I especially remember took place around Halloween: local children dressed up and visited each sports team’s table, where we played games with them, talked to them, and gave them holiday treats. All of these valuable service experiences helped shaped me into who I am today.

It was these experiences that drove me to apply to the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AS) Program. I think volunteering has a social impact, one beyond physiological health, on its recipients: the volunteer provides them with peace in the present and hope for the future. By allowing me to learn directly from my underserved patients and from caring for them through hands-on experience, the UST/AS Program will enable me to make a great difference in nursing practice. I believe that the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AS) Program trains health care students how to navigate care for patients of diverse backgrounds and how to become the best professional and personal versions of themselves.