After receiving an update from Bethany Hughes a few weeks ago, the Informant was able to catch up with the 2003 camper while she was in Germany. Actually, Mrs. Hughes, formally Ms. Byrd, is living there for a year before heading off to medical school at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Read on to learn about Bethany’s history with Camp RYLA and her many overseas adventures.
RYLArian INFORMANT: I have a renewed gratitude for the World Wide Web! This interview would be a bit more difficult without it, that’s for sure. Thanks so much for braving the seven-hour time difference to be interviewed. Well, let’s jump right in. When did you serve as an assistant counselor at camp?
Bethany Hughes: In 2004, right after I graduated from Rockwall High School.
RI: And where did you go to college? What did you major in?
BH: I went to Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. It’s a small liberal arts college. I majored in German and minored in Philosophy and Chemistry; I actually graduated just last December.
RI: And what are you doing now?
BH: I am now working as an English teaching assistant at a high school in Seelow, Germany and volunteering/shadowing in the medical community to learn more about foreign, socialized medicine.
RI: Oh wow! How did you come across that opportunity?
BH: I’m here on the Fulbright Grant, which sends students and professionals all over the world to study, research, or work as teachers in an effort to further understanding between the U.S. and other countries. There are various forms of the grant, but I received the English Teaching Assistant grant.
The main aspect of my Fulbright grant is to work as an English teaching assistant. This allows the students in the school to learn from a native speaker, as well as to build connections with international figures. It also fosters a sense of globalization.
RI: But that isn’t all you’re doing, right? Tell me a little bit about what you’re doing in the medical community while you’re over there.
BH: Each Fulbright teaching assistant also has to come up with a side project that they wish to partake in while overseas. My passion for medicine — and my interest in the similarities and differences in medical proceedings worldwide — made my decision simple. Over the next year, I hope to meet with German doctors to discuss how it is to live and work in a socialized medical state.
RI: Is this your first time in Germany?
BH: No, actually I spent a year in Germany as a Rotary youth exchange student after I graduated from high school.
RI: Did you learn about the program when you were a camper at RYLA?
BH: Yes! When an American who had just gotten back from exchange spoke at camp, it awakened something inside me that will never go back to sleep: the desire to go, see, do and experience.
The year I spent in Germany as a Rotary youth exchange student completely changed my life. I already knew my life’s ambition to become an obstetrician before I graduated from high school. However, when I returned from Germany, I had acquired a part of my identity that I could not ignore.
The year abroad also opened my eyes to my love of travel.
RI: So then, how big of an impact did Camp RYLA have on your life?
BH: Well, a very large impact. In fact, I am sitting in a hostel in Paris answering these interview questions because I was a RYLA camper. Apart from opening the door to Germany, RYLA taught me that sometimes the greatest leaders have to become the greatest followers. That’s quite possibly one of the most valuable lessons I learned. I can honestly say that the idea of knowing when to step down, to size up a situation and know when someone other than me is more fit to lead various activities has made me a better person.
RI: Paris? I thought you were in Germany.
BH: My husband, Dustin, and I are hostel hopping around Paris and Munich for about a week.
RI: You said you love to travel, where else have you been?
BH: To 14 countries in Europe and to Tanzania.
RI: And what have those trips taught you?
BH: During my travels, I have had many opportunities to meet so many people from all around the world, staying in many of their homes. This first-hand contact with diversity has completely changed the way I view the world. It is obvious that travel and intercultural dialogue will be part of the rest of my life. I look forward to seeing where it takes me! And all thanks to a short talk I heard about exchange at RYLA.
RI: I’m sure the stories you’ve gathered in all your travels could fill a book. Before we go, tell me a little about what’s next for you.
BH: We will stay in Germany until the end of June or mid-July. I have to get back in time to start medical school in August!
RI: Looks like you’ll get back just in time! One last question: why did you decide on obstetrics?
BH: For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to become a doctor, and obstetrics has fascinated me since long before I even knew what the word meant. In fact, I went to my kindergarten career day dressed as a doctor and took all my baby dolls. Also, I have a heart for women, especially those in great need. Dedicating my life to helping women at such a crucial point of their lives and gathering as much knowledge as possible about human development in utero seems the natural course for me.
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