Volunteer Spotlight: Sara Thunga




Volunteer Spotlight: Sara Thunga

By Emily Da Cruz
08:00 PM Sat October 22, 2022

October’s volunteer spotlight, Sara Thunga, has been involved with LIG Global for a large portion of her life, exhibiting her dedication to service in the medical field.Thank you, Sara!

Volunteer Spotlight: Sara Thunga

    

    LIG Global has had the opportunity to connect people from distinct backgrounds with one another; individuals from across the globe have been able to meet and learn from one another as part of our trips. Ironically, LIG Global has also been able to bring pre-existing families even closer together. October’s volunteer spotlight, Sara Thunga, is a prime example of this! Sara Thunga, daughter of LIG Global founder, Dr. Raghu Thunga, has been involved with LIG Global for a large portion of her life, exhibiting her dedication to service in the medical field.

    Having grown up in the Chicago area, Sara spent her first few years out of college working in Chicago. However, she made her way to the East coast, where she graduated from NYU’s school of nursing in 2020 (at the height of the pandemic). She was able to immerse herself in the nursing profession, and has since been working in an ICU in New York City, providing effective and compassionate care to each patient she interacts with. An attestment to her commitment to the field is Sara’s future plans to return to the classroom for CRNA school in the coming years. Outside of her rigorous professional commitments, Sara dedicates her time to various passions and interests of hers, including traveling, reading, spending time with friends, and taking dance classes.

    With a familial tie to LIG Global, Sara has been involved with the organization and its efforts from an early age. At age 14, her entire family volunteered with a LIG trip to the Dominican Republic and has been hooked ever since! Since her first trip, Sara has continued to participate in trips with LIG Global nearly every year, volunteering in both the Dominican Republic and Montana. Upon reflecting on her experiences with LIG Global, Sara emphasized two key parts of LIG Global that have driven her love for the organization: community and work.

    What I love about LIG is how we operate as a family,” Sara explained, “You start the week off in a group of nearly all complete strangers and leave with lifelong friends to go on more trips with.” She described how learning the stories of her fellow volunteers has deeply impacted her and made each trip meaningful. She also added, “I also love the work we do as well. You learn something new everyday and go home knowing you’ve changed many people’s lives for the better.” 

    Sara remarked how her experiences with LIG Global played a major role in her becoming interested in the medical field and pursuing her career in nursing. We are incredibly grateful for Sara’s years of commitment to LIG Global and have loved watching her grow into the healthcare professional she is today by ways of her interactions with LIG Global. Thank you Sara!!

Sara Thunga, dressed in scrubs, leans forward to speak to a patient as she has her blood pressure taken

A group of volunteers pose for a picture, Sara Thunga smiles from the back row, second from the right

A group of volunteers are greeted by school children dressed in uniforms,  behind them written on the wall is "Bienvenidos/AS" (Welcome/AS)