Current International Volunteers | Former Volunteers

Emilee Adair

I am from a really small town– Stroud, Oklahoma– and just graduated with my undergraduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology at The University of Tulsa. I sang in choir all four years at TU and taught music throughout my years in Tulsa and music has always been very important to me! My goal is to be a bilingual speech-language pathologist after I go home and get my master’s degree to practice. I am very passionate about equal access to healthcare and education so I love the field of speech-language
pathology for this reason! I have known for a long time that I wanted to travel after graduation to take a gap year so it is a dream that this program fell into place for me. I will miss my friends, family and grumpy cat Donna while I am away but I am excited to take this time to learn and travel.

Like I mentioned earlier, I want to be a bilingual speech-language pathologist so it is very important to me that I take the time to dedicate myself to the language and learn about the cultures of those who speak Spanish. If I want to be a great service provider, I need to first dedicate time specifically learning about the populations I wish to better serve. I think this program is a great opportunity to learn about both working with children as well as working alongside people who are from a different culture than myself!

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Allen Ballinger

I grew up in a small town in Oregon as the 5th of 9 siblings (2 girls, 5 boys in a row, and 2 younger sisters). Love being in the outdoors and traveling. I enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, biking, kayaking, gardening, and enjoying family and friends.

I have always wanted to be more immersed in other cultures and enjoy working with young people. We have talked about doing extended volunteer work with international locations especially since we visited the NPH home in Mexico.

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Marcel Ballinger

I am a retired woman of 65, happily married with 4 children and 8 grandchildren. My husband and I are from large families and live in the Pacific Northwest near Tacoma Washington. I love the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with family.

My husband and I became familiar with NPH through our former parish in Bellevue, WA. We have been godparents for many years and were able to visit the home in Mexico while on a retreat with other parish members many years ago. We have also been to several fundraiser events in the Pacific Northwest and have had the privilege of hosting NPH workers who came to the Seattle area for training. We believe NPH is doing a wonderful job of fulfilling a need in the regions that it operates and would love to take an active role in caring for the children and helping in the NPH community

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Natalie Brothen

Hi! I’m Natalie Brothen and I am 22 years old. I was born in Nashville, TN but was raised and lived in Scottsdale, AZ for most of my life. I am graduating in May from Arizona State University with my degree in Multilingual Education. I am currently a kindergarten teacher and I love it. Working with kids has always been my strongest passion and I feel honored to get to continue that passion in Honduras!

NPH has had a special place in my heart since I was in the third grade! I feel called to serve with NPH because I adore working with kids, and NPH provides the love and care that these kids deserve. The overwhelming amount of love these kids have is unlike anything I’ve ever known!

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Briana Chang

I was born and raised in the amazing state of Minnesota. I grew up playing soccer, figure skating, and enjoying time on the lake. Despite always having a strong desire to experience the rest of the world, I stayed in Minnesota to study human physiology, nutrition, and sustainable development at the University of Minnesota. I loved school because I love learning and, as such, I am often reading up on a new topic of interest. Outside of school and working in health care, I find joy in film photography, cooking, and laying outside in the sun.

During my senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to visit the NPH home in the Dominican Republic. There, the kids, staff, and surrounding communities opened my eyes to how unjust the world can be. But they also showed me that happiness comes in many forms and reminded me of how beautiful the simplicity of life is. They touched my heart in a way that gave me hope that we can build a better future. However, to help them specifically I believe that I must first get to know them on a deeper level. That is why I have decided to give a year to not only help OWS and NPH fulfill their missions, but to also learn how, in the future, I can help them create a more harmonious world.

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Cormac Huyen

I’m from a family of four with an edgy younger sister who goes to Fordham, a dead head dad who works at the University of Minnesota, and a perfectionist mother whose an attorney. I grew up biking around Minneapolis with my friends playing a variety of sports but only really excelling in soccer. In the late 2000’s, my dad took a severance package from Delta giving my family free standby flights and allowed us to travel all around the United States and Europe opening my innocent midwestern eyes. In high school, school and friends became my priority. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college when I transferred to Notre Dame from the University of Wisconsin Madison (I got denied from Notre Dame the first go around), that I started to truly value my familial relationships. Over the last few months, I have been reading, journaling, and making my bed every morning. I have realized two things from this: one, I love the routine and get to know myself more through this routine; two, I have so much more to learn.

The time following college is a time uncertainty for most people. There is no longer a simple path to the next step. It’s a time when you to decide what will I do with
my life. Despite this, my choice to go to Honduras has never been easier. I think me going to Honduras is more than me simply wanting to serve; I think it is the
place I am supposed to be. Father Wasson, the founder of NPH, once said, “A child is only good because of somebody.” I feel like NPH gives me the opportunity to be that somebody. I can be that somebody who fosters an environment for children “to reach their unique potential.” However, I have more to learn from the people at NPH, than services I have to provide from them. I want to serve not only because I want to be that somebody for a child but also because I believe the NPH family can all be that somebody for me.

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Julie Martin

My name is Julie Martin and I am a Kansas State University graduate as of this May with a degree in Kinesiology and Gerontology. I am originally from a small town located in the Southeast corner of Kansas, called Cherokee. I am the youngest of four with a very close-nit family that still resides there today. I have been actively involved in my sorority (Delta Delta Delta) during my time in college as well as our Catholic Student Center, St. Isidore’s. I have a deep love for sports, community, and service and I can’t wait to start this journey with NHP!

I have been inspired to serve through numerous experiences, but was deeply impacted when I journeyed to Pamplona, Peru for a mission trip with our student center the spring break of 2022. This is where I first encountered God’s true presence in a place poverty struck every aspect of life. I experienced a joy I didn’t know existed amongst people who didn’t have running water. I knew the impact these people had on me was much greater than the impact my work had on them. This moved my heart to look at my own life, question what my purpose of success was motivated by, and who I was living for. Was it for myself? Or was it for God? The love, joy, and peace that I experienced that week inspired me to draw closer to mission, draw closer to a new way of living, draw closer to the fulfillment I knew existed in serving others. I am beyond excited to endure this opportunity God has placed in my life and give back to an organization that will inspire me to change others.

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Ellie Meara

Hi, my name is Ellie Meara. I was born in California before moving to Australia, where I became a citizen. I moved, again, to Boston in 2010. I am one of three siblings. We all went to college together, following our parents’ legacy at Notre Dame. Throughout my life, my two passions have been drawing and medicine. My interest in medicine started by observing my two parents who are physicians. However, after seeing clinics in Mexico and spending time in the NICU at Boston Children’s, this passion intensified. I am so excited to continue this journey at One World Surgery (at NPH Honduras), while also being around an amazing community of children and volunteers.

I spent time volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club and fell in love with the children. However, my service was only 8 weeks, and I wanted to seek an opportunity where I could make a greater impact. I love how genuine and enthusiastic children are and these are characteristics I want to absorb and learn from. I also am drawn to NPH’s connection with OWS. As previously stated, I would love to advance my medical exposure while being in the context of such an amazing program.

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Iris Ohlrogge

Hello! My name is Iris Ohlrogge and I am very excited to be joining NPH Honduras in July 2023! I am from Middleton, WI and graduated from Luther College in Decorah, IA in May of 2022. I majored in International Studies, Global Health, and Spanish, with a minor in Health Promotion. In college I studied abroad in two different locations, one in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, and the other in Roatán, Honduras. After college I took a gap year and worked as a Health Assistant at an elementary school and as a CNA/Caregiver at a memory care facility. I really enjoyed both jobs and I gained a lot of new experiences and skills that will hopefully help me in Honduras!

I want to serve because I enjoy working with youth and I like to work with Spanish-speaking communities. I love Central America in general. I have been to Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico in the past. I enjoy learning about new cultures and meeting new people. Also, fun fact, I am adopted from Guatemala and have been back there six times! This is part of the reason why I am so passionate about Central America. I have also studied the region in my university classes. In addition, I am passionate about health care and health advocacy, so I am super excited to be working as the Patient Coordinator for One World Surgery at the NPH Honduras home. I am grateful to NPH for this opportunity to serve in Honduras. I feel ready and excited to immerse myself in a new culture and begin this year of service with NPH!

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Grace Riedl

I am graduating with a degree in Neurobiology and Psychology this May, and I am taking a gap year while I apply to medical school! In the past I have worked a variety of jobs including being a tennis and soccer coach, a tutor, a teaching assistant, a babysitter, an inclusion facilitator for children with special needs, a certified nursing assistant and a phlebotomist. Outside of school, in my free time, I love to play soccer or tennis, waterski, surf, run and I have recently gotten more into yoga and barre workouts. I also love to do art projects, draw, dance, read, travel, listen to music and attempt to bake or cook. (The best class I have taken is, in fact, ballroom dancing – it truly is a lot harder than it looks!) My current favorite book is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but I can never seem to pick a favorite song or movie. I have never lived outside of my state or country for a long period of time, and I am immensely looking forward to this coming year of service!

I am serving because this has been a dream of mine since high school, and I know that this time could be one of my only opportunities to pursue a year of service. This
year will be a challenge and I will strive to spread my empathy and continuously learn the ways in which I can better serve and support a community. I hope that I can take the message with me to know that even seemingly small acts can go a long way and create a ripple effect. I hope that I can also learn more about being independent enough to move to a foreign country across the globe for a year and strive to always put others before myself. I hope that I can become more proficient in Spanish and have the ability to take what I learn with me through the medical field to better serve my future patients. I know that this upcoming year will be a huge year for learning and growth as I navigate the world of medicine, work with children and experience different cultures and the ways in which I can better serve others around me.

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Nell Salzmane

I am a recent graduate of Brown University where I studied comparative literature and Latin American and Caribbean studies. Originally from Denver, where I interned at Westword, I spent last summer in Alaska working at a radio station in a small town at the base of Denali. I have done development work in Nicaragua and Ecuador and just finished an internship with UNICEF in Geneva. In 2021, I lived for 10 weeks at a refugee shelter in El Paso, Texas, where I conducted and transcribed more than 100 interviews in Spanish. I am excited to work with and learn from the NPH team and to explore Peru.

I want to work for NPH because I believe that one of the most important ways to change the world is through strong care/support at an early age. It is the starting block for engaged, skilled, and versatile citizens that the world needs now more than ever. From my first experience volunteering in Central America in high school, I’ve been drawn to putting myself in new situations with different types of people. As a summer volunteer at an immigrant shelter at the U.S. border in college, I helped migrants and refugees arrange transportation to their sponsors in different cities across the United States, mopped floors and disinfected cots, ate Salvation Army meals, and heard thousands of stories of people fleeing violence, gangs, and government corruption. This type of volunteer work is not easy, and I don’t think that everyone can or should have to do it, but I do think that everyone should ask themselves what they can do to create an impact in the lives of vulnerable people. My desire to help where I can and when I can is what inspires me to serve at NPH.

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Emma Stevens

Hello everyone, my name is Emma and I am so excited to be joining NPH Honduras. I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from Hope College in 2020. There, I was able to study Public Health in Kenya, and graduate with a Communications degree. After graduating, I joined Bethany Christian Services where I worked with refugees from Central America, and most recently, Afghanistan. The teenagers I worked for taught me all a lot, including all of the Spanish I know! This really fueled my desire to move to a Spanish-speaking country and confirmed my passion for working with youth.

I want to serve because I have felt the impact I have had on youth when they feel encouraged, loved, listened to, and supported. Learning about new cultures is one of my passions and I have grown a lot by surrounding myself with people from different backgrounds. By showing genuine interest in peoples’ beliefs, languages, food, history, etc. it builds this trust that allows for open communication and growth for both parties. I hope to be somebody that the kids on the ranch can talk to and confide in without judgement. I know I will learn a lot from them, and I am ready to challenge myself by fully immersing myself in a new country.

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Mary Thompson

I was raised in the foothills of the Treasure Valley in Idaho where I grew up with my two sisters. We had horses, dogs, cats, goats, Guinea pigs, etc., but we grew up in a very science minded family. I decided to major in chemistry at the University of Alabama with a minor in Spanish, but then after calculus III, I decided to add a math minor. During my sophomore year of university, I decided that I wanted to be a doctor like my parents. My hobbies include horseback riding, taekwondo, stand up paddle board, ceramics, and drawing. I also love to hike, run, and do puzzles!

I was looking for a way to see another side of the world that I had not previously seen, but I also felt like just taking a year to travel and explore would make me feel like I had wasted the time and not used my resources to be a productive member of society. From there, I figured that volunteering abroad may be my best option because I would be seeing another country and experiencing another culture, but also using my time to be helpful and impactful. After some research, an acquaintance mentioned NPH, and I instantly fell in love with the idea of it. The sheer size of the company makes me feel confident in stepping outside of my comfort zone because I know there are so many people backing me up, and there have been so many people before me in the same exact position. Furthermore, the split between having a larger impact in your everyday job (like my surgery center operations assistant) and the smaller, more intimate impact of having an hogar, not only provides a balance in one’s everyday life but seems to double the affecting nature of the position.

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Helen Vradelis

I first decided I wanted to be a speech therapist when I was volunteering at a therapeutic stable for my high school community service project. I fell in love and never looked back. I’ve been working in the field for 4 years now, most recently as a pediatric home health therapist with Spanish-speaking families.

I work mostly with immigrant families who moved from Mexico so their children could have better lives (and citizenship) in the United States. I understand that many families don’t have the resources to move and that their country doesn’t provide the social services that we do here in the United States. I’m looking to bring my experience and education and compassion to Central and South America to help how I can, as well as learn about what their lives are like in their home countries.

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