The Levine Scholars Program at UNC-Charlotte enrolls 20 students annually and provides them with the tools, resources and community they need to prepare for lives of visionary leadership and positive social impact. Each summer, Levine Scholars participate in enrichment experiences which aim to align their programs of study and out-of-class activities with their strengths and values, and to give Scholars an opportunity to put their ideas into practice in a range of environments.
Care Ring has been fortunate to host a Levine Scholar who is interested in community health almost every summer; and this year we were honored to welcome two Levine Scholars - Lucas Le and David Buckner.
Lucas is a pre-dental student with a passion for helping the uninsured access dental care, and David will be applying to nursing school and is planning a career in women’s health. He also is working with a UNC-C professor on a program to support under-served women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.
During their time at Care Ring, Lucas and David worked on a variety of projects to assist the organization. These included:
- aided in the planning and execution for Care Ring’s Vision to Learn partner event
- worked with new interfaces to receive feedback from dental professionals
- drafted media for new patient communication software
- synthesized and referenced an array of peer reviewed journals to further the research being done at Care Ring pertaining to telehealth outcomes
- developed the online renewal application for the Physicians Reach Out program
- updated listings for the Low-Cost Clinic, and many other tasks.
They had this to say about their experience with us:
Lucas: "Interning with Care Ring has been such an enriching experience, from learning how nonprofits operate to being able to play a role in improving patients’ quality of life – it has truly been the highlight of my Summer. Having the ability to observe the work here at Care Ring has been so inspiring and serves as motivation for myself to continue on my academic path to be able to serve in a similar capacity as a health professional in the future. I am so thankful to have been granted this opportunity and would like to express my gratitude to the entire staff of Care Ring for fostering such a warm and welcoming environment. Although my time as an intern has come to an end, I’m extremely excited to continue to volunteer with Care Ring to research and identify new methodologies to increase access to dental care!"
David: "Interning at Care Ring this summer has been far more than amazing. Waking up each morning and knowing that I am working with an organization that cares for the health of others exponentially made this experience so rewarding. Learning about the work that is done here has not only kept me occupied this summer, but has allowed me to know a of a side of medicine that I
would like to pursue later in my own career as a healthcare provider. I am so grateful to have been given this experience and owe the utmost gratitude to all of the Care Ring staff, the patients, and to the Levine Scholars Program. I will for sure be back to Care Ring in the near future."
The staff at Care Ring would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to Lucas and David for their hard work and dedication to our mission over the past several weeks, and to UNC-Charlotte and the Levine Scholars Program for making their placement and service possible. We have no doubt that they will be making a huge difference in the health of their communities for many decades to come!