Student's Determination Gives Schoolkids a Chance

"I saw the effects arsenic was having on the kids and knew I needed to do something."

Student's Determination Gives Schoolkids a Chance

"I saw the effects arsenic was having on the kids and knew I needed to do something."

In 2014, student Elise Craig traveled to Peru to help administer medical care. While there, she discovered schoolchildren in the village of Carancas were drinking water from a well contaminated with high levels of arsenic.

Instead of standing idly by, in true Spartan form, Craig decided to take action.

Ambitious and energetic, Craig is a high-achieving third-year MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) student deeply interested in pursuing solutions. So much so that she contacted Engineers Without Borders, who installed water filtration systems in the village.

And it didn’t stop there.

After submitting the arsenic research findings into a national poster competition, Craig won three hundred dollars—which was then used to purchase additional water filters.

And due to her receiving private support, Craig traveled back to Peru in 2015, where the MSUCOM team expanded on the research she began. Craig is applying for grants to fund further research and water filtration devices for multiple Peruvian villages in need of clean water. 

Craig’s many MSU experiences will be essential to her future. She is now only one short year away from the coveted, hard-earned D.O. title, and will no doubt leave MSU prepared for greatness. 

Learn more about supporting students like Elise.

Author: Sarah Wardell