CHS Student Gains Cultural Understanding During Study Abroad in Ghana
Published March 8, 2023
By Darlene Muguiro
UTEP College of Health Sciences
This spring, Anamaria Solis is preparing to sing the praises of study abroad, promoting her recent three-week experience in Ghana to fellow UTEP students. The junior Social Work major remembered first learning about study abroad during freshman orientation, but never really thought it was something she would end up doing. However, as she learned more about the various international fellowships and scholarships available to UTEP students to help fund the experiences, she began to seriously consider the opportunity.
“When I realized this was feasible, I began to think hard about what kind of project would be worthwhile to pursue,” she said. “I wanted to do something health-focused, and the director of the Fellowships Office actually suggested Ghana to me because another student had done it a few years prior.”
Ultimately, Solis received funding for an entire semester abroad in Ghana through the U.S. Department of State’s Gilman Scholarship, a highly competitive program which encourages cultural exchanges for students who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to participate.
Solis says that her research background in reproductive and women’s health fit nicely with the opportunity to travel to Ghana. She is part of a research team led by Dr. Carina Heckart, professor of Sociology and Anthropology, which is investigating pregnancy health. She also completed a summer research experience at Arizona State University as part of the BUILDing SCHOLARS program, under the direction of Dr. Edward Ofori, helping to research the link between blood biomarkers in women and the likelihood of developing neurodegenerative diseases.
In preparation for the trip, Solis dedicated a whole month to logistics and research about the culture and environment of Ghana.
“Going abroad requires a lot of work – the vaccines, antibody checks, and visa application. Also, I had to prepare my family because, naturally, they were concerned about me going so far,” she said. “So, I had to learn about what to do to stay safe, and gain general cultural understanding about the country. My summer research mentor, Dr. Ofori, is from Ghana, and he helped me with that as well.”
While in Ghana, Solis completed a course in Reproductive Health and Culture at the University of Ghana and volunteered at a private facility that accepted public insurance. She laughed, saying that people assumed she was pre-med, when in reality, she was more interested in the inner workings of the public health system instead of the daily operations. However, the exposure to patients brought about a true awareness of the patriarchal nature of the Ghanaian culture, something that was only briefly touched upon in the classroom setting.
“It was interesting, because when men would come to the pregnancy appointments with their wives, everyone made a big deal. It’s not really common in Ghana for men to do this,” she said. “In fact, I was in the child welfare group checking on the babies’ health, and when the men came into the appointments, we were told by the workers at the clinic to give those families priority.”
Solis says that her host family made her stay truly special, but she noted that the Ghanaian people in general were very friendly. She knew in advance of the trip that the country was predominantly Catholic, but also quickly learned that they share close family bonds, similar to Hispanics, which begins immediately after birth.
“Because I’m a social worker, we look at things through a strengths-based perspective. In Ghana, you’re given your baby immediately, and the baby stays with you through the whole stay at the hospital, which really helps build that maternal-child bond,” she said.
As part of the Gilman Scholarship, Solis will share her experience with other students, to encourage their participation in study abroad. She plans to present to Public Health classes as well as Chicano Studies classes about the benefits of going to a non-traditional country. She says that going to Ghana provided her with the academic and cultural exchange experience that she was looking for.
“When most people think about study abroad, they think about Europe, which is very traditional, and it’s great, but it’s always going to be there because of the tour companies,” she said. “But in going to Ghana, I was provided with support from my host family, and I had the opportunity to work with a population that I hadn’t had experiences with before.”
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Go Miners!
For more information about UTEP Study Abroad, please visit: https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/oipsa/study-abroad/
