Ellen Tumbarella is seeking donations to help fund her trip to Panama where she will provide medical care to the region’s citizens.

Tumbarella is a 2012 Howell High School graduate.  At Grand Valley, she is studying biomedical sciences and chemistry with a pre-med emphasis. She hopes to one day become a pediatric surgeon. Her interest in pediatrics came after volunteering at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids in the last year.

Tumbarella, who was vice president of her high school’s Health Occupations Students of America club and class, also is contemplating expanding her future medical career across borders, which is one reason she hopes to make the ISL trip to Panama.

“I want to improve the health of people even before I’m a doctor,” Tumbarella said. “I’m hoping this trip will show me if I want to practice international medicine.”

Tumbarella also hopes to enhance her clinical skills through the Panama experience as well as increase her knowledge on diseases that affect people on a global scale.

“In Panama, my colleagues and I will be working with doctors to provide medical attention to those who are in need of it,” she said. “Being a full-time college student, there is no way I could afford to go on this trip out of my own pocket.”

Donations will cover Tumbarella’s expenses, including medical supplies such as a stethoscope, an otoscope, thermometers and blood-pressure cuffs.

Donations to Tumbarella’s trip can be made at www.gofundme.com/ellengoestopanama.

International Service Learning is a nongovernmental organization that offers volunteers practical experience through medical, education and community enrichment programs, according to its website, www.islonline.org.