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Raquel Medina in Tanzania

Group photo at Ruaha National Park

 

Raquel with tortoises

 

Raquel Medina found her true calling during her undergraduate degree at the �鶹��Ƶ, where she double majored in political science and anthropology. Inspired by her anthropology classes, Raquel’s fascination with East Africa and its history in human and primate development led her to sign up for a student-led trip to Tanzania.

Hosted by the , the 10-week trip was based in Morogoro, a city in eastern Tanzania. Raquel and her peers were the face of SIHA, working in administrative roles, drafting different education curriculums surrounding water sanitation, menstrual health and other health initiatives. They also worked on contacting potential partners, applying for grants and securing funding. SIHA’s local partner organization, Uluguru Repository for Development Investment, facilitates and implements projects. 

There was a lot of preliminary work involved in preparing for the trip. In the months leading up to it, Raquel and the others worked to prepare themselves for living in Tanzania for more than three months — whether it was local customs, the hot, humid weather or mosquitoes. 

It was the first time she had been away from home, from family. Raquel describes local religious and cultural customs with a reverence she acquired while she was there. With values similar to her own culture, she felt especially at home in the country. What was difficult was getting used to not being around family, but with her fellow interns to lean on, homesickness quickly became an afterthought. 

“I really enjoyed learning things like the language, food. I felt like I tried to embrace that. I tried my best to learn some basic Swahili to kind of get us around here and there.”

Raquel travelled around a little during the interns' breaks. With friends, she went on a weekend safari to Ruaha National Park, further west from Morogoro. The park has one of the largest populations of elephants in East Africa and Raquel enthusiastically calls it “easily one of the best experiences of my life.”

“Tanzania is just such an amazing country to see from an environmental perspective. The actual scenery of what you're waking up to every day is just unreal.”

They also spent two weeks backpacking in Zanzibar, Tanzania’s archipelago, where they put their Swalihi to use bonding with the locals and even unintentionally acquiring a free boat ride for their efforts.

Raquel credits Tanzania for both personal and professional growth. She claims her confidence as a traveller is a direct result of her trip, her first time travelling alone and being away from family. Currently doing a master's in journalism, Raquel found her true calling in East Africa. The inkling of interest that took root in an anthropology class grew into a passion for the region that has led her to base her master’s research in Rwanda in the summer of 2025. With her experience and knowledge in East African culture and politics, she stands out in the field of international journalism.
 

“It's like the first shot of something that you need. As soon as I got my first taste of stepping foot in a continent like Africa, I knew I was going to go back. Immediately I was like, ‘Yeah, I haven't had enough of what this feeling is.’"