October 7, 2024 | (Grace Fontanarosa , UConn Today)

‘Unforgettable Experience’: UConn Nursing Students Spend 6 Weeks in Rwanda

On the very first day of clinical at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) in Rwanda, seniors Gabriella Argenio ’24 (NUR) and Kaitlynn Brito Torres ’24 (NUR) had the immersive experience of participating in their first live birth. Together, they rolled up their sleeves and jumped right in.

“It was literally like a textbook, seeing life happen like that,” says Argenio.

She and Brito Torres walked the new mother through breathing exercises, squeezed her hand, brought her to the birthing chair, and witnessed the baby’s birth. Although there was a language barrier, the gratefulness in her eyes was palpable.