While some students arrive at the University of Rhode Island unsure of the path their education will take, Sarah Ogundare knew global health was her destiny.

“I’ve gone on mission trips with my church, and in my heart I want to see people more healthy—and not just physically,” said Sarah, who’s been to Haiti three times. “I am taking a holistic approach to health with a spiritual aspect. That is my passion and my goal.”

In Haiti, she built relationships with children who were not being educated, helped prepare a new mobile clinic, painted houses, and constructed latrines in rural areas. She hopes to make mission trips to Guatemala and India next.

“Honestly, I love traveling and I love leaving having realized there’s a need,” she said.

In between her studies and her travels, Sarah worked as a certified nurse’s assistant at Rhode Island Hospital and served on the leadership team of URI’s Sankofa Campus Ministry. She hopes to attend graduate school, but she first plans to continue working for a year at the hospital while she considers how to channel her interest in global health into a thriving career.

“I’m on another leg of my journey,” she said. “I’ve closed one door and it’s time to open another one. The journey never ends. There’s always room for improvement, and I am excited for what God has in store for me and my family.”