By: Neethi Verma Imagine sitting in an exam room, trying to follow an explanation while worrying about what a diagnosis will mean for your family, your job, or your future. The clinician finishes speaking and asks whether you have questions. You have several, but you are unsure where to begin. A compassionate response might start with a pause: “What is worrying you most right now?” That question makes room for something a medical chart may not capture: what this experience me

Author: Siddarth Luthra A hijab, turban, patka, kippah, cross, head covering, or kara may be a visible expression of faith, identity, family, and tradition. Yet religious clothing can sometimes cause people to make assumptions before they know anything about the person wearing it. Bias is not always obvious. It may appear as staring, jokes, intrusive questions, social exclusion, or assumptions that someone is threatening, oppressed, overly strict, or less “American.” A studen

Louise Gomez Every year, large amounts of sargassum reach Caribbean coastlines, driving off all the tourists and dealing a heavy blow to the local hospitality industry. At first glance the problem seems simple, that it is removing all from the beach. But it is much bigger than that, the massive arrivals of sargassum can affect marine ecosystems, reduce light and oxygen in the water and most importantly harm coastal communities that depend heavily on tourism. The Dominican Rep

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE "Leave no one behind" is a simple phrase, but putting it into practice is much more complicated. It means recognizing that people do not all begin with the same opportunities and that progress should include communities that face greater barriers. In healthcare, this could mean making sure people can access medical services regardless of their income or location. In education, it could mean improving opportunities for students who lack resources. I

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE When we think about improving people's health, hospitals are usually one of the first things that come to mind. Doctors, nurses, medicines, surgeries, and medical technology are all essential. However, health is influenced by much more than what happens inside a hospital. A person's living conditions can have a major effect on their health. Housing, income, education, employment, transportation, food, clean water, and environmental conditions can a

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Technology has changed almost every part of modern life, and healthcare is no exception. From online appointments to digital medical records and remote consultations, technology has created new ways for people to interact with healthcare systems. One major advantage of digital healthcare is that it can help connect people who live far from medical facilities with healthcare professionals. For someone in a remote community, being able to communicate

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE A hurricane, flood, drought, or other environmental disaster can affect an entire region, but that does not mean everyone experiences it in the same way. Some people have access to strong homes, transportation, emergency supplies, insurance, and reliable communication. Others may live in areas with fewer resources and have fewer options during an emergency. This difference is important because climate-related disasters can make existing inequalitie

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE When we hear the phrase "creating change," we may imagine something huge: starting an international organization, creating a new law, or solving a major global problem. These things can make a significant difference, but change does not always begin on such a large scale. Sometimes it begins with a small action: A community cleanup is a simple example. One person picking up trash may not seem like a major environmental solution, but when several pe

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Social media has changed the way people communicate. Information that once took days or weeks to reach an audience can now be shared around the world within seconds. This makes social media a powerful tool for global health awareness. Organizations can use platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and other online spaces to explain health issues, promote campaigns, share educational content, and encourage people to get involved. For an organization fo

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE When people talk about solving global problems, young people are sometimes left out of the conversation. Issues such as climate change, healthcare inequality, poverty, and discrimination can seem too large for students to influence. But young people can contribute to change in meaningful ways. One of the simplest ways to make a difference is through education. Learning about an issue allows us to understand what is happening before deciding how we

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Religion can be an important part of a person's identity, values, traditions, and community. Because healthcare involves deeply personal decisions, religious beliefs can sometimes influence how people approach treatment and medical care. Patients may have religious practices or beliefs that healthcare professionals need to understand. These could influence preferences around food, medication, certain procedures, family involvement, or other aspects

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Healthcare involves more than doctors, medicine, and technology. It also involves communication between people. When healthcare professionals and patients come from different cultural or linguistic backgrounds, understanding each other becomes especially important. People have different languages, traditions, family structures, beliefs, and ways of understanding health. These differences are a normal part of a diverse world, but they can sometimes

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Education is usually associated with learning subjects, preparing for careers, and passing exams. However, its influence goes much further. Education can affect people's opportunities, decisions, and even their health. A person who has access to quality education may have more opportunities to find stable employment and access important information. Education can also help people understand health information, recognize risks, and make informed dec

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Water is one of the most basic necessities of human life. We use it for drinking, cooking, washing, agriculture, and sanitation. Because of this, access to clean water is closely connected to health and quality of life. It can be easy to forget how important clean water is when turning on a faucet is part of our daily routine. However, many communities around the world still face challenges related to safe water and sanitation. When people do not h

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Air is something we often take for granted because we cannot simply choose to stop breathing it. Every person depends on clean air, which makes air quality an important part of public health. Air pollution can come from many sources, including transportation, factories, energy production, fires, and other human activities. When pollution becomes part of the environment, people can be exposed to it simply by going about their daily lives. This becom

ISSYS RODRIGUEZ, 11TH GRADE Climate change is often presented as an environmental issue, but its effects go far beyond nature. Changes in temperature, extreme weather, air quality, water availability, and ecosystems can also affect human health. One example is extreme heat. Higher temperatures can make daily life more difficult and can create greater health risks, especially for people who are more vulnerable to heat. Communities that do not have reliable electricity, cooling

By Anlys Matos — Eleventh Grade — Sometimes the first person to notice that you're sick isn't a doctor. It's your mother, your neighbor, your teacher, or the person living next door. In much of the Dominican Republic, that isn't just an informal reality — it's a formal, documented part of how the health system actually functions. Health doesn't happen exclusively inside hospitals: The World Health Organization has increasingly emphasized community engagement and primary healt

By Anlys Matos — Eleventh Grade — Millions of people fly into the Dominican Republic every year to walk on white sand, swim in warm water, and stay in resorts built to look like paradise. But paradise has to come from somewhere — and increasingly, the country's own environmental data shows what it costs the people who actually live there. A record-breaking industry, and a country already under water stress: The Dominican Republic is now one of the Caribbean's largest tourism

By Anlys Matos — Eleventh Grade If artificial intelligence can write your essays, summarize your homework, generate your art, and answer nearly any question you type into it, what happens when an entire generation stops practicing the skills AI can already do for them? That's not a hypothetical worry anymore — it's the actual shape of the debate happening in classrooms and universities right now, including in the Dominican Republic. AI is changing how people access informatio

By Anlys Matos — Eleventh Grade — Before you ever meet a doctor, your family, community, culture, and religion have probably already taught you something about what illness means, where it comes from, and who you're supposed to turn to when you're sick. A treatment can be scientifically effective and still fail — not because the medicine is wrong, but because the patient doesn't trust it, doesn't understand it, or feels it disrespects something they believe. Healthcare isn't