LA JOLLA, Calif. – For as long as she can remember, Ania Snissarenko knew she wanted to become a doctor. The rising third-year Triton has a passion for improving the lives of those around her. Earlier this summer, Snissarenko – a member of the UC San Diego women's tennis team majoring in human biology – had the chance to do just that as part of a two-week medical mission to a small town in Uganda.
 
"A major driving force in wanting to be a surgeon has been the opportunity for me to help other people," Snissarenko explained.
 
In June, Snissarenko joined more than 80 others on a medical mission to Uganda. Organized by Loma Linda University, Students for International Mission Services (SIMS) put on free multi-day clinics across three Ugandan sites. While most SIMS participants were nursing students, Snissarenko was one of three undergrads to make the trip, and the only UC San Diego student to take part.
 
"I didn't know anyone before we left, but I quickly made friends as soon as we got to the airport in Los Angeles," she explained. "Everyone was super accommodating and welcoming, and I fit in right away."
 

 
The students' journey was a long one. They first flew from Los Angeles north to Seattle, then east to Amsterdam. From the Netherlands, the final flight was to the Ugandan city of Entebbe, home of the nation's largest airport. The rest of the journey took place by car, eight more hours to get to the small town of Ishaka.
 
Once in Ishaka, the group set up camp, literally. They built the tents and workstations, creating a working pharmacy within the fields. Once operational, the clinic was staffed by SIMS students and Ugandan doctors. The clinics were free for patients, many of whom would arrive the night before and camp out to ensure their spot in line and access to care.
 
The days were long. Snissarenko and her colleagues would depart each morning at 7 to get set up and begin seeing patients. "I was helping mostly with patients' vitals, logging their weight and height, administering urine tests or glucose checks – things like that," she said.
 

"I really enjoyed working in the pharmacy, learning which medicines complement one another and which should not be mixed and also how much should be prescribed based on their weight or age," Snissarenko explained. "I was able to help with hands-on assessment of the patients, too."

In all, the SIMS group at Snissarenko's site saw more than 8,800 patients and distributed more than 35,000 meds.
 

 
Beyond the clinical work itself, Snissarenko returned to California with a greater appreciation for the privilege with which she has grown up. "Other than the valuable hands-on experience, this opportunity really put life into perspective for me," she said. "I am thankful for what I have but this trip showed me how much I take for granted each day. I didn't have warm water or much water pressure for showers – and that's a big challenge, especially with my long hair! Beyond that, I feel safe here in the U.S. and not everyone around the world has that comfort level with their surroundings."
 

 
The mission also gave her a glimpse into what life as a surgeon could be like. "I was able to go into the operating room and see the surgeries happen there, which is an opportunity I'm not afforded as a college student here at home," Snissarenko said. "That was amazing to see what I'm going to get to do in the future as a surgeon!"

Competitively, Snissarenko missed the entire 2022-23 tennis season due to injury. Upon returning home from Uganda, she had successful hip surgery earlier this month, and her rehab is well underway. Being on both sides of the operating table has given her a new perspective.
 
So where will her career path ultimately lead? "I'm not sure," she said with a laugh. "Maybe I'll be an emergency room surgeon or maybe work in sports med or with infectious diseases? But I have to say, I really enjoyed the chaos of working in the pharmacy."
 
Meantime, she has two more years as an undergraduate student at UC San Diego, but now she is more impassioned than before about helping others. Whatever direction she ultimately chooses, society will benefit from her selflessness and caring attitude.
 

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.