Far from Tampa Bay, tucked away on a mountainside in the Dominican Republic, is a community of die-hard University of South Florida supporters. The Bull-U logo is ubiquitous – seen on T-shirts, hats, cups, pens, everywhere. And though no one from this community has visited USF, the children greet visitors as they pass by saying, “Go Bulls!” and making the familiar horns-up sign. All this because the students of the USF Judy Genshaft Honors College have been bringing that Bulls spirit to Bella Vista, Dominican Republic since 2016.

Students frequently reference their time in Bella Vista as one of their most impactful experiences in their university careers. Through volunteering in mobile medical clinics and observing the social determinants of health with Dr. Reginald Kerolle, the organization's founder, students apply what they learn in the classroom from our Honors faculty. Luis Regalado (‘17), who went on to earn a M.S.c in Global Health from Oxford University in the U.K. before continuing on to Ohio State College of Medicine, explains that his experience with the Kerolle Initiative “solidified the decision for me to study global health before I became a physician.”

In addition to professional development, students also experience cultural immersion by staying in community members’ homes, eating local food, and learning the music, dance, and dominoes woven into the fabric of everyday life. Although the trips are short, typically about 10 days, community hosts and students form bonds difficult to understand in U.S. culture. “They greet you with open arms and treat you like part of the family,” explained Vivekka Suppiah (‘19).

Student-led Initiatives

Over the years, roughly 200 students have not only gained valuable experience but also contributed to the work of the Kerolle Initiative through numerous student-initiated projects. In 2017, students built a kitchen at a small rural school in the community of Madre Vieja, alleviating the need to depend on a neighbor to prepare lunch off-site. Other student projects examined access to clean water, provided health education to children and adults, and supported pregnant women. 

Recently, students have built upon the work of a cookbook focused on pregnancy nutrition and a set of health infographics, both created for Honors thesis projects. The cookbooks by Aditi Parashar (‘22) were shipped to the D.R. in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and then distributed by the  Kerolle Initiative Community Health workers. For his Honors thesis, Ryan Shargo (‘22) created a set of health infographic posters addressing the most common issues facing Dominican patient populations. These posters, in both Spanish and Haitian Creole, were taken up by the Fall 2022 Honors class on Health and Culture in the Dominican Republic. By the time this class traveled to the D.R. at the end of the semester, they had researched each issue and developed presentations in Spanish and Creole explaining the posters. Those presentations and the research that supported them are now being compiled into a book for future groups. 

Committed to the Future

Cayla Lanier, assistant dean at the Sarasota-Manatee campus, and Lindy Davidson, associate dean at the Tampa campus, alternate leading trips in the spring and fall each year. “With each trip, we learn more about the ways we can support the on-going work of the Kerolle Initiative. To be successful, our projects must be in collaboration with one another and especially with Dr. Kerolle and his team, as they are the people invested in serving these communities 365 days a year,” says Davidson, who has been leading trips since 2016. The partnership between the Judy Genshaft Honors College and the Kerolle Initiative for Community Health is mutually beneficial, and with robust interest from current students, committed leadership from the college, donors offering students scholarship support, and an enthusiastic host community in Bella Vista. This enduring partnership promises to keep Bulls spirit alive and well in the D.R. for a long time to come.