AccessiHealth and the Global Pandemic: A Team Member's Perspective

In July of 2020, Venezia Garza reached out to me as well as other high school students to join a project her and her mentor were forming. I have been with the AccessiHealth team for almost five months, and it has been an amazing virtual experience.

Today, technology is vastly accessible to us. Reaching this point of beginning the development of the app prototype is possible because of the internet and the resources it has to offer. Granted, nothing can replace real-life collaboration with one’s peers, and I feel like that is the major factor missing throughout this process. As responsible people, we must be staying self-isolated in order to ensure the health of ourselves and others. For me personally, it has been especially hard on my mental health to not be able to interact with others in person. Despite this, I would not change how we began this process of developing the app.

With being quarantined because of COVID-19, our team’s first meeting was via Zoom. During this reunion, all of the project members were excellent with communication and we became comfortable with each other quickly. From that point on, we began conceiving what our app’s mission would be and how we would reach the point of launching it to consumers. In the process, we have engaged in mentorship panels where guest speakers share their experiences and advice surrounding higher education and what to expect in life as a medical professional.

The progress we have made with AccessiHealth is a unique story that has allowed us to begin a project that impacts the lives of those with restricted access to medical care. In the process, we have created a great bond within the team and gained knowledge from seasoned mentors pertaining to the medical field and college life.