“I’m nominating Neha because she flew 3,000 miles from Seattle to New York to volunteer
at Bellevue Hospital to treat the sickest COVID-19 patients in the ICU.
After having seen the worst there is to see, she deserves to see the best.

-Christie Clarke, former NYC GG Leader at Williamsburg Prep-

As part of our #TravelTaughtMe Campaign, Global Glimpse was able to award a pair of airline tickets to 10 workers on the frontlines of the pandemic who were nominated by their peers. Through the generosity of our partners at United Airlines, we will keep the spirit of travel alive for these deserving individuals once it is safe to travel again!

 

Alejandra Morales
Nurse Assistant at St. John’s Regional Dignity Health (Los Angeles, CA)

Over the last 12 years, Alejandra has served as a nurse assistant at her local hospital where she supports COVID-19 patients in quarantine to reach full recovery. Alejandra has also taken on work at Ventura Medical Center. She is the mother of four beautiful children and one grandson. Her son is a special needs child with Autism, which requires Alejandra to provide additional care and support, on top of the fear she brings home of spreading the virus.

Brent Costa
Area Portfolio Leader at Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, CA)

As a Bay Area native and first-generation college graduate, Brent is proud to drive collaboration across Kaiser branches in his local community. He works to ensure teams and initiatives have the resources they need to meet their performance goals. Brent has been working around the clock during the pandemic to ensure streamlined staffing, access to personal protective equipment, and continuity of service.

Carol Heinz
Neonatal Intensive Care Clinical Coordinator Nurse at Rush Copley Medical Center (Chicago, IL)

Carol works closely alongside a team of nurses to evaluate patient status and implement an appropriate plan of care. During the pandemic, she has ensured patient safety and quality of treatment for especially vulnerable COVID-19 positive mothers and newborns. Carol credits her ability to be a strong nurse and leader to the lessons that travel has taught her. “Travel has allowed me to build empathy, compassion, and courage, all of which are critical to my responsibility as a nurse. Travel has taught me that we are all more similar than different in our wants and needs.”

Christopher Taal
Crew Member at Trader Joe’s (Larchmont, New York)

Christopher works everyday as a Crew Member at Trader Joe’s to ensure others have food on their table. His day-to-day has changed significantly over the last two months and he has had to find strength in his family and community to navigate the fear and uncertainty of being on the frontline as an essential worker. He is a proud father of a five year old daughter. Chris has rarely had the opportunity to travel and is looking forward to doing so with his daughter when it is safe to travel.

Danika Canlas
Admissions Assistant at Alameda Healthcare and Wellness Center (Alameda, CA)

Danika interacts daily with newly admitted residents from hospitals to orient them to nursing home facilities. Her job has required a lot of patience and perseverance, as she’s had to navigate her residents’ feelings of confusion and sorrow around strict limitations to protect residents’ safety. She believes that travel has taught her to be empathetic towards other cultures and that we must be mindful of how everyone experiences the world differently.

Lindsey Nguyen
Regional Lead Medical Assistant at Carbon Health (San Jose, CA)

Lindsey is constantly reminded about the importance of leadership in the healthcare industry, and especially in today’s climate as she marries her clinical skills with strong leadership to schedule, train, and guide a team of medical assistants across three urgent care clinics in the South Bay. As a proud Global Glimpse alum, she credits her perseverance and the seeds of her leadership to her Global Glimpse trip. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased demand for services and the risk of exposure because of limited PPE for Lindsey and her team on the frontline.

Megan Phuong
Personal Care Attendant at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health (Santa Barbara, CA)

Megan balances being a full-time undergraduate student at UC Santa Barbara while also working full-time to care for individuals with developmental disabilities. She works across various homes to help residents develop increased levels of independence and interpersonal skills. Many of her clients are seniors or those who have underlying conditions and are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Growing up in Oakland, CA, Megan has never had the opportunity to travel outside of the West Coast and is looking forward to traveling anywhere in the world!

Neha Sathe
Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow at University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle, WA)

As a Pulmonary and Critical Care doctor, Neha specializes in caring for patients with serious lung diseases and in intensive care. Living and working in Seattle, she’s had the responsibility of caring for countless sick patients and saw some of the earliest cases of COVID-19 in the country. Neha later flew back home to New York City to volunteer at Bellevue Hospital’s ICU during the pandemic’s peak. As she worked alongside doctors, nurses, social workers, and other staff from all over the country, she was reminded that medicine is truly a team sport.

Dr. Robert Gore
Emergency Medicine Physician at SUNY Downstate & Kings County Hospitals (Brooklyn, NY)

For the last 14 years, Brooklyn native Dr. Rob Gore has worked in emergency medicine. After witnessing so many tragedies that have affected healthcare workers and patients alike in his own community, working in the ER during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a life-changing experience for him. It has been a constant reminder about how much of a gift life is and has helped him recognize the importance of family and travel to him. Dr. Gore also founded the Kings Against Violence Initiative, a nonprofit providing anti-violence and conflict resolution programs in hospitals, schools, and communities.

Ryan Bowen
Nurse at University of Chicago Medicine (Chicago, IL)

As the charge nurse for the emergency department at the University of Chicago Medicine, Ryan oversees the flow and function of his entire department on the frontline. He is tirelessly dedicated to providing excellent patient care despite the impact that COVID-19 has had on his ability to safely interact with family and friends. Ryan looks forward to traveling with his family for the holidays.