Part of a special feature celebrating student success during spring convocation. You can join the celebration by following @MemorialU on Twitter, MemorialUniversity on Instagram and liking the Memorial University of Newfoundland page on Facebook. Well wishes will be projected in the Arts and Culture Centre prior to each ceremony and can also be seen at www.today.mun.ca. 

For Kaetan Waghmare, who will receive his bachelor of science (pharmacy) degree on Thursday, May 28, during spring convocation ceremonies at Memorial, the health-care community spans far beyond the borders of Newfoundland and Labrador.

 Last summer, Mr. Waghmare spearheaded a Global Brigades trek with 29 other students and returned with a new perspective on pharmacy practice.

 “The facilities we built for the families would be considered rudimentary in our society, but for them it was life changing,” said Mr. Waghmare, who will return this summer, this time with 59 other students.

 Two separate brigades will be running this year – one medical/dental with a public health portion where the students will build hygiene stations, and the other a combination of water and public health.

 In September Mr. Waghmare will begin his first term in the Faculty of Medicine, and cites initiatives like Dr. Andrew Furey’s Team Broken Earth as inspirational to him. He is striving to use his background in pharmacy and medicine to do similar work throughout his career.

 “It’s hard to explain why I find myself drawn back to Honduras. The way the locals are so appreciative of everything we do is quite striking and you just kind of realize that this small moment in your own life – that period of 10 days – can mean a lifetime of change for the people of Honduras.”