Irene Guendel values independent thinking, likes challenges, and dreams of fusing her scientific career with natural health studies one day.
At the age of 17, Guendel left her home country of Costa Rica to conquer her dreams. Before she left, though, she grew up being exposed to natural remedies, when her mother used them for herself and her family. As a result of this exposure, she became interested in natural health modalities such as yoga, even though it was considered an “esoteric” practice because of “the conservative nature of Costa Rica,” she says.
When she was 21, she started experiencing health abnormalities and ended up having to get three microsurgeries, which two specialized doctors later concluded were unnecessary. After this upsetting event in her life, she started researching natural health and found CCNH in 2007. “CCNH offered affordable programs that were interesting. Also, compared to other colleges I found the Web site to be a sign of organization, since I believe for online degrees it is important to have a good Internet portal and communication.”
She also finds the independence offered by CCNH appealing. “I like the freedom for us to decide when we can study, where, and how much.” Although she says she is not a teacher or coach, she has taught in Costa Rica to university third year undergraduate students for a special course she proposed, designed, and planned, proving that she is the kind of independent, innovative thinker that CCNH fosters.
Along with working toward her Master of Science in Natural Health at CCNH, she is continuing her undergraduate studies at George Washington University, working toward her Master of Science in Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics. As part of her studies, she researches viral and breast cancer proteomics, HIV-1, and HTLV-1, “basically, disease at the molecular level,” she says. By the end of this year, she will be a published author, with at least six publications she has co-authored on HIV-1 and HTLV-1 being made available in PubMed. “I will be a first author for one of my current projects, which will be published in a few months in a novel topic of breast cancer proteomics.”
Along with authoring works, she reads the work of others, finding works by medical doctors who also practice Ayurveda interesting, because they merge the two fields of science and natural health. “My dream career is fusing my scientific career with natural health studies and practices, such as yoga and Ayurveda, being able to research toward natural health rather than vaccines and ‘cures’ for the allopathic medical system, and teaching those who want to learn how to be healthy.”
It seems she has passed on the tradition started by her mother of helping family members with natural remedies. She shares her knowledge about good health prevention practices with her family. “My immediate family is very healthy, practices yoga (my influence), and are receptive to what I have to say because they know I’m studying and I ‘should know.’” When she has shared her knowledge with friends and colleagues, it has brought “interesting discussions since most of them are medical students or fellow scientists. My elder colleagues used to refer to my choice of alternative studies as ‘witch craft,’ which I think is funny.”
When she is not working on experiments or studying, she dedicates time to meditation and physical activity as well as volunteering. “One of my favorite quotes is from Mahatma Gandhi, who said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ I aim to live my life every day by doing things like volunteering.”
She wants to adapt the degrees she will earn from CCNH toward consulting and helping people, and one of the ways she plans on doing that is through Web site domains she has bought and will use when she has developed the concept of how she will apply her knowledge of natural health.
She says, “I am currently 25, and as a young woman I think I always take on more than I can handle (sometimes) because I like challenges.” Her quest to make her dreams come true by thinking of innovative solutions for helping others, such as imparting her wisdom of natural health via the Internet, proves not only that she likes challenges, she can face them as well.
This article was based on an interview with the student.
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