Pooja Tirumali (Bouvé ’27) is a second year Health Science student who participated in Northeastern’s London Scholars Program. During her year in London, she gained an appreciation for global discovery and interdisciplinary learning, which she plans to expand upon during her upcoming alternative spring break trip to Guatemala through the Northeastern Global Medical Brigade.
“I was a part of the first London Scholars Program at Northeastern meaning I lived on the London campus for a year. The Northeastern London campus was located in Tower Hamlets on St. Katharine’s Docks overlooking historical pieces of European history such as Tower Bridge and Tower of London. This created an intriguing juxtaposition, as Devon House had modern architecture while being surrounded by historical landmarks. This made me excited to walk to class and grateful every day being there. It was also great because the classes at Devon House are designed to give us time in our day to explore London. During my breaks, I would walk across Tower Bridge and go to the famous Borough Market for lunch, or I would take the tube to Piccadilly Circus and do some shopping. The classes also emphasized interdisciplinary learning and taking the classroom knowledge and applying it to the real world. For example, I was required to take a “British Drama and London Stage” course and our required classwork was to go see West End plays and musicals. We would write down what we saw at the theatrical performances and use it in our papers and in-class acting exercises. Lastly, the opportunity to easily travel around Europe was an incredible experience that built resilience and independence as a college student. The school would have opportunities to host school trips around the UK which I also went on with my friends.
This March, I am also going on an alternative spring break to Guatemala organized by Northeastern Global Medical Brigade. This medical brigade aims to inspire and collaborate with communities to achieve their own health and economic goals. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the local community through the brigade’s different mobile clinics including triage, consultation, dental, vision, gynecology, and pharmacy!”
What other activities are you involved in on campus?
- Northeastern Nakhraas (Northeastern’s premier garba-raas dance team that dances at events such as convocation and commencement, as well as competes at national competitions)
What is your favorite Honors memory?
My favorite Honors memory is one of the Honors Internal Admit Community Engagement Events at the Clayroom in Brookline. I joined this event not knowing where Brookline was, as I was new to the Boston area, so it was a lot of fun meeting other Honors students and discovering a fun area to take my friends to in the future.
What events or activities would you recommend to new Honors students?
For Internal Admits, I would definitely recommend going to events such as Clayroom in Brookline and the Hot Cocoa and Cookie Decorating engagement events. This was a fun way to meet other Honors students and have a chance to get to know your peers. I also got close with my Honors Discovery TA and had a chance to chat with her about future classes and ask her what professors she would recommend. You get to engage academically and for fun during these events.