Vancouver student spends summer working in Indian hospital

Clark County — Joshua Ramirez, 15, had one of the greatest summers of his life this summer, as he traveled from Vancouver to Ahmedabad, India, on a 17-day medical internship through the Youth Future International. Ramirez, who starts his sophomore year at Jesuit High School in Portland this fall, learned about the program from his older brother, who went on a similar trip. He was one of 56 students selected for the trip to India, which included a week at medical college and a week working at a hospital, where students dissect preserved cadavers and observed a natural birth and gallbladder surgery. “I was very proud of myself, as I did not pass out from the smell and sight of blood,” Ramirez wrote in an email. He also said he liked seeing how different life in India is, with animals more freely roaming the city. The program helped Ramirez decide that he wants to pursue a career in the medical field.