Shanelle Briggs, a senior on the WSU cheer squad, is always on the move. You can find the Olympia native on her way to Cougar sporting events, cheer practice, class, and most recently, around the globe.
 
After studying abroad in Costa Rica last year, Briggs – a pre-med student, double-majoring in Spanish –  knew it was time to combine her passion for travel, languages, and medicine.
 
"In Costa Rica, it was the time of my life," Briggs said. "It was so amazing. But I also really saw the need for medicine outside of the U.S., and it gave me a heart to serve. I thought, 'Wow. I want to go abroad somewhere and actually use my Spanish and the medical knowledge I've gotten so far, for a good cause.'"
 
That's where Hearts in Motion came in. The non-profit organization teams up with colleges and universities around the country each year –  including a group from WSU –  to provide assistance in medical and dental clinics, hospitals, and orphanages around Zacapa, Guatemala.
 
"It was kind of perfect," Briggs said of Hearts in Motion. "It was for people going into medicine, for Spanish speakers, and it had everything that I wanted, so I applied right away."
 
The only thing that could make a dream volunteer trip to Guatemala that much more significant was taking a special nurse, and Briggs' long-time role model, along for the ride.
 
"When given the opportunity to apply for the program, I asked if my mom could join me as a volunteer nurse," Briggs said. "The organization [Hearts in Motion] was happy to have her and I both. I was translating for her and watching her diagnose people, which was really awesome."
 
Hearts in Motion is a non-profit organization that focuses on a variety of community health projects in Guatemala. The Cougar 10-day portion of the year-round effort is led in part by WSU faculty members Ana María Rodríguez-Vivaldi and Kathy Beerman, and includes roughly 25 WSU-Pullman students.
 
WSU contributes to Heart in Motion's mission by dedicating a large portion of time to cleft palate surgical repair for underprivileged children.
 
"These kids wait the whole year for our WSU group to come and do this, because their parents can't afford it on their own," Briggs said. "I would wait with them, and explain to them what was going to happen, and comfort them. But they were fearless. I never saw them cry or anything, and they were so grateful to be there. They were calm and excited to have their surgery done."
 
And those kids in Guatemala never went through the operation alone. After the procedure, a new chapter in life and a familiar face, awaited.
 
"I got to wake the kids up after they were coming out of anesthesia and tell them 'Your surgery went perfectly,'" Briggs said. "They smiled so big, and I was able to play with them, and help them recover. I also got to see them the morning after when we did rounds, and the parents were so grateful. They'd run up to me and give me hugs and say 'Oh my gosh, we're so excited. We're so happy. Look how beautiful their smile is.' The moments like that made it really cool."
 
They were moments that have inspired Briggs, who plans to do more medical service work in the future. She is on track to graduate in December of 2017, and plans to spend the remainder of what would've been her spring semester, back in Costa Rica on a medical internship.
 
"Then, my plan was to start medical school, but after this experience I'm re-thinking that," Briggs said. "I think I'm going to take a gap year and do more things like this. Before I start an eight-year journey, I want to go abroad and have more experiences like this, that really remind me of why I want to be a doctor."
 
Along with the service work done in the community, Briggs also participated in a research project that WSU started with the help of an organization called Lucky Iron Fish. It utilizes a new, innovative solution to iron deficiency anemia – a Lucky Iron Fish™.  It is a fish-shaped cast iron ingot, that releases iron when in contact with boiling-water or broth-based foods.
 
As the ingredients absorb the iron-rich water or broth, the overall iron content of the meal is enhanced. One Lucky Iron Fish™ provides an entire family with up to 90 percent of their daily iron needs for up to five years.
 
"Lucky Iron Fish donated many 'fish' to take with us, and we were able to disperse them to families in Guatemala, and explain how to use them," Briggs said.
 
The effort has been largely successful, with blood test results showing that the fish helped to improve iron status.
 
The WSU group also did something extra special during Briggs' trip, by 'adopting' a local child, and contributing to pay for him to go to school.
 
"Each year, the group that goes will chip in to help pay for him to go to school," Briggs said. "It was really cool. We had a little ceremony where we told him what we were doing, and gave him a little Coug hat. It was really cute, and he was super excited."
 
Now, after her journey with Hearts in Motion, Briggs is excited for the future, and hopes to make giving back to foreign communities a yearly effort. She's also appreciative of the memories and insight she's gained from her travels, so far.
 
"It was a really humbling experience," she said. "When you come back, you really realize how much you have, and how different it is in other places. It makes you look at life from a different perspective because it gives you a chance to step away and look at your life in the U.S. and realize your problems are so little, compared to the things that other people deal with. Some people can barely get food, and medical access is asking for so much. It just makes you really grateful for what you have, and want to give back what you can."