Every so often, a student gets an opportunity that will change their educational experience - and life - forever.
That's exactly what three students and a faculty member in St. Clair College's Pharmacy Technician program got during a recent trip to South America.
Morgan Merritt, Jerry Sikl, Prof. Kaitlyn Harnden and Sanaa Shaaya of St. Clair College's Pharmacy Technician program pose for a picture in El Triunfo, Guatemala in January 2025. (Kaitlyn Harnden/St. Clair College)
Second-year Pharmacy Technician students Jerry Sikl, Morgan Merritt and Sanaa Shaaya, along with Prof. Kaitlyn Harnden joined local mission group, Guatemala Hope, to provide essential healthcare and medication to people in the Village of El Triunfo, Guatemala.
"I think my students have come back changed," said Prof. Harnden, noting they helped administer medications to nearly 1,100 patients during the 10-day trip in January. "They were kind of taken aback at the amount of need that was there. It was just really eye-opening."
El Triunfo is a remote Village in Guatemala, where people typically need to travel great distances to receive any level of medical care.
The Guatemala Hope team has been running mission trips to this village for 25 years, equipped with doctors, dentists, nurses, and engineers. But the group of volunteers have never had a pharmacy technician team to help administer medications and vitamins to the villagers.
St. Clair College students were brought along to help fill that void, and according to Prof. Harnden, they proved their worth immediately.
"This was an incredible opportunity to sharpen my technician skills, especially working alongside Dr. Harnden as her technician. Being next to her throughout the day really helped boost my confidence in my abilities," said second-year Pharmacy Technician student Jerry Sikl.
Students rotated through different roles in the pharmacy, looking at proper dosages for children, and troubleshooting how best to stretch their supply amongst patients while still having a positive medical impact.
Every day, the students put in 12 hours of hard work, helping dispense medications - complete with Spanish instructions - to around 150 families.
"Every day was a new opportunity to learn and grow," said Sikl, calling it not only a profound educational experience, but also an emotional one.
"What truly moved me were the mothers who arrived at the clinic bright and early, waiting patiently for five to seven hours, just so their children could receive 30 tablets of Tylenol for growing pains or 50 gummy vitamins to support their development," Sikl said. "Their unwavering dedication to their children's well-being left a lasting impression on me. It was a powerful reminder of the lengths a parent will go to ensure their child has a chance at a healthier future."
St. Clair Pharmacy Technician program students and faculty member work in a make-shift pharmacy in El Triunfo, Guatemala during a January 2025 mission trip. (Kaitlyn Harnden/St. Clair College)
Prof. Harnden describes El Triunfo as a very poor village where the mission group has spent countless hours over two decades trying to help develop the infrastructure to provide cleaner drinking water.
Some of the other nearby villages which students visited, such as El Tigre, were even worse off.
In El Tigre, many villagers live in make-shift shacks, with walls made of hastily thrown-together boards, covered with tin roofs, where villagers sleep in cramped quarters on dirt floors. They drink water from wells that comes out brown.
"Their living conditions really hit some of my students harder than I think they expected," said Harnden. "Seeing it is different, and they wanted to know what they could do to help."
Despite the conditions, Sikl said the families of this village "made do" with what they had, always showing tremendous appreciation for the help being offered.
"Their heartfelt gratitude for every item we brought, from the small comforts of new clothes and toys to the life-saving medicine, moved me deeply as a father of two," Sikl said. "It was a day of stark contrasts - filled with both sorrow and a renewed appreciation for the blessings in my own life - and it remains one of the many unforgettable memories from that half-day of visiting the neighbouring villages."
Sikl said he and his fellow students were also embraced by the team of healthcare professionals.
"The camaraderie among the team of healthcare professionals was incredible. They welcomed us, the student technicians, like family," Sikl said. "Dr. Harnden played a key role in showing the seasoned crew of doctors, nurses, dentists, and engineers just how essential a pharmacy and its technicians are. Hearing their appreciation made us feel valued and respected."
St. Clair Pharmacy Technician program students and faculty member work in a make-shift pharmacy in El Triunfo, Guatemala during a January 2025 mission trip. (Kaitlyn Harnden/St. Clair College)
Guatemala Hope, which operates out of St. John the Evangelist in Woodslee, Ont. has been running missions to El Triunfo for 25 years, and this is the first time they've invited St. Clair College students on the trip.
"We had such amazing feedback from the team. They told us that the pharmacy had never run as smoothly as it did with those students there," said Prof. Harnden. "They loved having the students there. They were such a great asset, and I think that that is such a huge testament to how much of a difference our students can make."
Far from a vacation, the students immersed themselves in the local culture and integrated into the village, spending time with its people and listening to their stories.
On two occasions during the trip, the students managed to get down to the beach to catch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, a visual they enjoyed together after a long day of work.
"Even in our hospital scrubs, the view was breathtaking," said Sikl, who saw these are prime moments to reflect on his time in Guatemala: The culture, the beauty, the lives he and other volunteers helped change, and the overall experience of honing skills in a real-life setting.
"I am incredibly grateful to the College for making this experience possible, and I know it will shape the way I see the world moving forward," Sikl said. "I was there to help, to contribute in whatever small way I could."
"That feeling is something I will carry with me for a lifetime."
