Hieu Nguyen
Medical Intern | Virtual / RemoteBefore COVID-19 spread like wildfire, I was so excited to hear that I was interning in Cape Town, South Africa. I could not sleep that night when I received the acceptance letter from my program coordinator at W&L University. However, my dreams and hopes were shattered overnight when school was canceled and my dream internship was off the map. I found myself slowly losing hope and desperately alone, but I am glad that the story doesn’t end there. When I found out that Connect-123 had launched their virtual internship program, I saw a glimmer of hope. I was placed into a medical research team in South Africa that broadened my horizons and connected me with many other like-minded researchers. Even though I had to wake up very early because of the time zone, I truly enjoyed the experience. I am glad that I got to work on a research project and met new people. Through this whole process, I learned things about myself that I never fully realized. I am much more resilient than I think I am. Also, this whole experience was a test on my positivity that I know I came out better than before. I really appreciate Connect-123 and everyone for making my 2020 summer more meaningful.