Pura Vida! BW's Ella Barth Spent Summer Working at Health Clinic in Costa Rica

Written by Matt Florjancic

BEREA, Ohio – Summers are meant for rejuvenating the mind and body before returning to school for the fall semester, but Baldwin Wallace University senior women’s soccer star Ella Barth took a different path, one that led to Central America and an experience she will not soon forget.

An Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team selection, Barth spent the summer working at a local clinic in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica.

“I just wanted something in the general health field that didn’t really have anything geared toward more exercise science, but I figured a local health clinic might have a lot of different areas, so a lot of times, they promote different areas,” said Barth, a Jacket Scholar and Dean’s List student.

“They would go to libraries, public spaces to promote just general health information. I thought that was really good to see how their healthcare system works, and that was a big part for me just to see how it might be a little different than here and the different resources and different thoughts of creativity they use to make things work.”

Maximizing Resources

According to Barth, the local clinic had limited resources. However, a creative mindset allowed them to reach many more people than if patients were expected to come to them for treatments or preventative care.

Barth compared the clinic to an Urgent Care facility in the United States that could do “a little bit of everything.” She was there during their vaccination campaign ahead of flu season and made sure patient information was recorded correctly.

Also, during the experience, Barth noticed the attention to detail clinic staff had to keeping the environment clean.

“They always had people cleaning like 24/7,” Barth said. “Band-aids aren’t really a thing there, but they would use other ways to sterilize and make sure that they were getting the same amount of treatment.

“They also care a lot about their environment, so they’re big on making sure that they’re not providing a lot of waste to the city and the other areas. It was really interesting to see how creative they were with fixing those problems, and also, keeping their community clean.”

Refreshing Mindset

According to World Bank, Costa Rica has a lower poverty rate when compared to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The average annual income for Costa Ricans is just under $10,000 American.

Despite the differences in income and resources, Barth enjoyed the spirit of the Costa Rican people, who are often heard using the phrase, “Pura Vida.” That translates to “Pure Life” in English and reflects the country’s mindset of caring for each other and the environment.

“If you were to say, ‘How’s your day?,’ they would say that as a response,” Barth said of the “Pura Vida” mindset. “That’s a big part of their culture like, ‘I’m just living the life that was very relaxed. There’s just happy people down there.’”

Giant Slayers

The experience in Costa Rica gave Barth a new appreciation for the culture, but also, a further developed an understanding of the Spanish language.

The exercise science and Spanish double major spoke the language during her home stay and learned “some Costa Rican-specific phrases.”

“While we were down there, actually there was a lot of soccer going on because the Copa America was happening,” Barth said. “They’re very, very, very proud. Their fun little nickname for their team was the Cazadores de Gigantes, which means ‘Giant Slayers’ in Spanish because they were not the best team ever, but they would go and upset a bunch of other big teams.

“It’s insane. Super proud people. I know we were there at a game where they tied Brazil, 0-0, and that was a huge thing. People were on tables singing. They had a whole song that they did. It was really cool to see.

“It was just great to see people come together in general, and I would say on a normal basis, they were just kind individuals. Everybody that was there, they wanted to know what you were doing and why you were there. They were really proud to see that people wanted to come there and experience their country.”

Future Perspective

Admittedly, the time in Costa Rica helped Barth find a “different perspective” about her career in medicine, as well as an interest in maybe going to other countries to implement what she has learned in her classroom and practical experiences.

Along with a desire to travel for work, Barth is hoping to enroll at Cleveland State University for what she calls “my perfect situation for occupational therapy.” She is working at getting a doctorate in occupational therapy, and then, serving those who served the country, like her grandfathers, Robert (Bob) Lester and William (Bill) Barth.

“I would like to work with the VA,” Barth said. “I have two grandfathers that are veterans, so they rely on the VA a lot. I know they’re all over the country, so that’d be something I’d really be interested in.

“They were both at Vietnam. I know Bob was a drill sergeant at some point. I’m not sure what my other grandfather did, but they rely on the VA to this day, so it’s really nice to see. The VA is  always needing help, so that’s something I would definitely like to do.”

BW Experience

Before Barth can focus fully on the future, there is the matter of finishing up her double major at Baldwin Wallace.

As the final months of her Baldwin Wallace career wind down, Barth is grateful for everything the programs of study have afforded her.

“Oh, it’s been amazing,” Barth said. “I feel like my academic experience has been just great. Professors are super hands-on. They constantly send internship opportunities, which is fantastic.

“The way that everything is planned out right now, the courses I’m taking have just been building from the classes I’ve already taken, so it all makes sense. It all comes back around, and I’m feeling very hopeful about the future and the opportunities I’ve been given.

“I’m so glad I made the decision, and it’s just been absolutely great. It’s been very fulfilling, and I get to be hands-on with people and meet different groups. I feel it’ll be a huge part of my future.”