My name is Leah Ottenstein, and I am a student in my third year in the Undergraduate Nursing Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB). As president of the Student Nurses’ Association at UMB, I helped to found and run a peer mentor program that helps undergraduate students to better handle the pressures of nursing school. I also volunteer with the medical team at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in my role as captain of the UMB College of Nursing and Health Sciences Boston Marathon Volunteer Team. I transferred to UMB from Tufts University, where I studied history with a focus on Latin America. I have worked in veterinary hospitals for seven years as a veterinary technician, most recently in the operating room.  I was born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but my family is from Argentina. I am engaged, I love animals, and I have four pets at home. I also enjoy doing yoga regularly, hiking, and traveling. I speak Spanish, and last summer I studied medical Spanish in Costa Rica. I have previously been on three service trips, one to the Dominican Republic, one to Brazil, and one to Honduras. I am passionate about health disparities and social determinants of health, especially in the global context. I am very excited to see how my career develops, but I know that it will involve advanced practice, research, and work in global health.i