We Are Knox...

Eva Westley did an independent study during the spring of her first year
at Knox. Titled "Health and Politics in Nicaragua," her research culminated
in a paper about how the political changes of the 1970s, 80s and 90s
affected women's health policy in Nicaragua. She concluded that women's
health policies were greatly affected by regime changes, whether they brought liberal reforms by the Sandanistas or more conservative cutbacks by the governments that followed.

Eva spent the next summer in Nicaragua as a supervisor for Amigos de las Americas, a youth volunteer organization, working with the Ministry of Health on public health in rural regions. "My research gave me a much greater understanding of the culture and the workings of the public health system there, especially with respect to women's health," Eva says. "The health system I encountered in Nicaragua was not very efficient, and it seemed that only affluent families were able to receive consistent health care. Women's health seemed to be almost taboo."

Eva's research and travels inspired her to work toward a career in women's health in Latin American countries, and she will be studying abroad in Chile next fall. "The professors at Knox have been very supportive of my every endeavor," she says. "They really make it feel like I could do anything I set my mind to. I don't think I would have these great opportunities anywhere else."