For medical students like Robyn Adams and Maria-Ariadna Ghiuta, gaining international healthcare experience can be life-changing, but financial considerations often stand in the way. Thanks to the Go Abroad Fund, both students turned ambition into action, gaining skills and perspectives that will shape their future careers. 

In 2025, Robyn was able to go on a trip of a lifetime, and it was donors like you who made it possible. “The Go Abroad Fund helped make this opportunity possible by supporting the cost of my flights. As a mature student who balances my medical degree with work as a healthcare assistant, this funding removed a significant financial barrier,” she says. 

In the Andes, Robyn contributed as both a volunteer and research subject, studying how hypoxia affects human physiology. Investigating the effects of hypoxia on human physiology is essential for understanding the body’s responses to low oxygen conditions. This research provides valuable insights that can guide medical interventions and safety protocols, ultimately enhancing outcomes and saving lives in clinical, occupational, and extreme environments.

“Experiencing the challenges of working in a resource limited environment gave me invaluable insight into global health challenges.”

During her time abroad, Robyn developed skills and competencies vital for doctors serving underserved communities. Her journey continued in Peru, where practising Spanish and immersing herself in Andean culture strengthened her resilience and cross-cultural confidence.

“Practising Spanish developed my confidence in communicating across languages, and living at altitude strengthened my resilience and adaptability,” she reflects.

Robyn Adams in the backdrop of the Andes

Meanwhile, Maria-Ariadna Ghiuta, who goes by the name ‘Ariadna’ volunteered in Athens with International Volunteer HQ’s Community Support Project, where she helped support communities affected by poverty, displacement, and disability.

“It allowed me to step into the community and see first-hand how issues like poverty, displacement, and disability affect people’s daily lives. It also taught me how to communicate and connect with people from completely different backgrounds, something that is so important in medicine but often hard to fully grasp without real-life experience.”

Living in a hostel and connecting with people from around the world pushed Ariadna beyond her comfort zone, enhancing her confidence, adaptability, and resilience.

Both students’ experiences align with the Go Abroad programme’s goals of global citizenship, widening participation, and preparing future healthcare professionals to serve diverse populations.

Stories like Robyn’s and Ariadna’s show how donor support transforms ambition into action, equipping students with the empathy, skills, and confidence to become socially responsible, globally minded healthcare professionals. For Robyn, the impact extends far beyond one summer.

“The development of intercultural awareness, resilience, and organisational skills has strengthened my suitability for a future career in medicine working with underserved communities in austere environments, which is a central goal of mine.”

Ariadna adds, “Thank you again to donors for making this incredible opportunity possible, I know this experience will stay with me, both personally and professionally.”

Ariadna alongside colleagues in Athens