Learning Language Creates Opportunities

An interest in science and language proficiency in Spanish from four years as a staff member and five as a villager at El Lago del Bosque will land Andrew Álvaro Thornton in Guatemala this summer, doing research in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   
 
He’ll be supervising and training field workers— en español—and he credits his time as a staff member and villager with this ability.  He explains, “The summers I have spent at El Lago del Bosque have prepared me for my project in Guatemala in many ways. They have greatly improved my command of the Spanish language. However, most importantly, the emphasis on cross-cultural understanding and communication that embodies the CLV experience will help to smooth my transition into Guatemalan culture and be an important part of the project’s success.”

Thornton and the research team will investigate neglected tropical diseases and the impact of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.  An estimated 10 percent of global disease cases could be prevented with improved water/sanitation/hygiene access.  
 
Following the two months of training and data collection in Guatemala, Thornton will be part of the data analysis team back at the CDC in Atlanta, and his work on this project will lead to a thesis.
 
Thornton is earning a master’s of public health degree in global epidemiology at Emory University, Atlanta.  His career goals include working for an organization that conducts epidemiological research on infectious diseases, and he would prefer to work in an international setting.

clv@cord.edu
(800) 222-4750