One of my very first experiences at Duke was DukeEngage Gateway in Summer 2022! I worked alongside the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care (CACCC) to engage the community in Advanced Care Planning and decision making, as well as to improve access to Palliative Care. I raised awareness for the importance of end-of-life decision making and created & promoted educational material for events, showcasing meaningful stories in the community. In creating a program book for CACCC’s anniversary celebration, I gained enormous insight on advanced care planning, difficulties in navigating the healthcare system, and family dynamics in healthcare. Through my project, I also received healthcare training on how to initiate the conversation and create a welcoming atmosphere using a simple and unifying card game where players could express their healthcare wishes. In these experiences, I learned about the Chinese culture around the topic of death and gained experience exercising cultural competency in patient interactions.
With my experiences with CACCC, I was incredibly grateful to give back to the Chinese community. Thus, Brodhead Service Program was the perfect opportunity to apply my knowledge of palliative care and serve people from disadvantaged backgrounds in San Francisco. Civic engagement is incredibly important to me, so when I learned about the Brodhead Service Program, I knew immediately that I wanted to dedicate an extended amount of time to serving underserved patient populations. I am passionate about interacting with diverse communities and people of vastly different life experiences from my own. Through Brodhead Service Program and partnering with the Missionaries of Charity: Gift of Love, I aimed to improve the quality of life for patients within the hospice home and in inner San Francisco, aiding with material resources and most importantly, spending quality time with and providing solace to these individuals.