About

My name is Tara Bortolon and I am a 3rd year Health Science student at The University of Western Ontario. I am very passionate about dance, music, health, and exploring the world. Like most people, I would love to travel but I have accepted that travelling every inch of the earth is highly unlikely. I’ve changed my focus into connecting with the world and no longer focusing on simply travelling.

Global Experiences
Recently, I spent some time in the Dominican Republic working at a school teaching english to children. This was my first real experience in a developing country where I was living directly in the heart of the community with the locals. I learned more from this experience than I have ever in a classroom. Little life lessons truly became apparent such as, “don’t sweat the small things”. I was surrounded daily by underprivileged children with dirty torn up clothes, poor shoes or none at all, and most definitely no cell phones, no computers and no xbox. Yet, these were some of the happiest kids I have ever met. I was reminded about the happiness that life brings us on its own. To be honest I never truly believed in the saying ‘Money doesn’t buy happinness’ until this trip and I am forever thankful for these children who opened my eyes to reality and allowed me to appreciate the beauty of life, of REAL life.

Ever since my positive experience volunteering abroad, I have been passionate about pursuing a career in work that allows me to continue to connect and make changes globally. I hope that this course will increase my knowledge and build upon my passion for health and the world.