When Dr. Holtzman announced that our Science and Technology seminar would run a health fair, however and for whomever we decided, our class was immediately intrigued. After much discussion, we decided it would be most fitting to run a fair for the Queens College community: our home base and place where we wanted to give back. For weeks, we worked together in groups, each of which focused on finding creative ways to present information about its specific health topic. We reached out to health care facilities and various organizations, learned from our campus nurse, and researched many prevalent medical issues.
The day of the fair was Monday, November 25, and everyone was excited. We set the science building atrium up according to our detailed drawn-out floor plans, arranging the tables, display boards, games, and giveaways just as we had decided. To finally see weeks of intangible efforts form into a colorful and exciting health fair was undeniably satisfying. At noon—the start of free hour—students started arriving, and we were ready.
We manned our tables and eagerly greeted students with informative pamphlets about nutrition, cancer prevention, diabetes, heart health, sex education and more. There were trivia games, prizes, and raffles to win a Kaplan review course. The local hospital offered free dental screenings, blood pressure tests, and blood sugar level tests.
We also hosted a Gift of Life bone marrow registry drive and clarified some preconceived notions about donating bone marrow. (Bone marrow donation is not an organ donation, but rather an outpatient procedure similar to giving platelets.) Many students provided cheek swabs, which will be sent to the labs to be tested for matches.
But what made all our hard work worth our time was the amazing opportunity to give back to the Queens College community. We provided instructions how to check for cancer, explained which vaccines are needed to study abroad, and revealed how many grams of sugar are in a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. Raising awareness amongst our peers was an important task and beneficial to all.
