Study Overseas

A selection of profiles of international students who are currently studying in the United States. Please click on a name.

Name: Mpho Hlalele

Place of Study: St. George’s University
Emphasis:Veterinary Student

Mpho Hlalele of East London, South Africa, dreamed of traveling the world and practising veterinary medicine. After completing her undergraduate studies in Newcastle, UK, Mpho was accepted to the School of Veterinary Medicine at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies.

“I was attracted to the clinical approach that St. George’s offered,” Mpho recalled. “And that I could practise in various countries – I’ve always wanted to live in Australia.”

Mpho recalls as a child she would watch her mother, a pediatrician in South Africa, care for patients. “I declared, ‘I want to be like my mommy except I want to take care of animals, not people.’ ”

Mpho has now returned to East London in preparation for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Exam.

Name: Bharan Kumar

Place of Study: St. George’s University
Emphasis: School of Medicine

Like his father, Bharan Kumar, of Slough, Berkshire, plans to work in general practice medicine in the UK.

Bharan, a medical student at St. George’s University, is currently completing his clinical studies at North Middlesex University Hospital, one of the many affiliated hospitals in the St. George’s University’s School of Medicine programme.

“SGU makes you a well-rounded person,” says Bharan. “Not only does it build your awareness of the diversity of people, but it also improves your communication skills as a doctor. The opportunity to meet new people and obtain new experiences – to say that not only did you live in Grenada, but you studied and practised medicine there – will make you stand out.”

When asked where he saw himself after completing his studies, Bharan said, “I want to stay in the UK because there are so many developing communities. We have a large population of immigrants and inner-city areas where so much can be done. Really, I’m the privileged one, and I’m certain I’ll continue to focus on community-based medicine.”

Name: John Clark

Place of Study: St. George’s University
Emphasis: Veterinary Student

Commits to Working with Wildlife Animals

John Clark was born in Malawi, Africa and completed his senior school and undergraduate studies in the U.K. But he attributes his desire to care for animals in the wild to his early years spent in Malawi.

“It is hard to actually pin down specifically where my passion comes from,” John states. “Anyone who has stood in the wilderness watching a herd of elephants drift by as the sun sets would understand.”

John attends School of Veterinary Medicine at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies. He is committed to pursue rewarding work and plans to return to Malawi to practice once he completes his degree – “there is much to do!”

Name: Jeff Donowitz

Place of Study: St. George’s University
Emphasis: Medical Student

Students Advocate for Global Health at St. George’s University

Second term medical student Jeff Donowitz is a member and founding president of the Students for Global Health student organisation at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, where students share their passion for an international medical perspective.

Founded in 2007, celebrating the University’s unique diversity, the club hosts events on global health philosophies and provides student networking opportunities and international medical experiences for students. Recently, it hosted a forum on the role of the healer in various cultures.

Jeff hopes that Students for Global Health continue to foster a multicultural medical perspective at St. George’s University: “to see medical students learn their clinical skills under the auspices of community service has been a fantastic experience.”

Name: Carlon Fitzpatrick

Country of Origin: UK

Place of Study:St. George’s University
Studying: Medical Student

Being a leader in a home away from home

Warm temperatures, frequent beach visits and beautiful landscapes are the obvious reasons why anyone would choose to attend a Caribbean medical school. But St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, offers much more – 30 years of a global education experience. Our students, faculty and staff come from over 136 countries and 6,800 graduates practise in all specialties round the world. All of this, plus state-of-the-art facilities and extensive student support services, make SGU the perfect choice for medical school.

Carlon Fitzpatrick shares his experiences of leadership and community service in a beautiful place far from home. The UK native is a second term St. George’s University School of Medicine student with a special interest in neuroscience and cardiology practises. Carlon is no newcomer to the Caribbean culture, as his Jamaican background made St. George’s global learning experience a natural choice for him. He has made an outstanding effort to become a leader in his “home away from home.”

Give Back
As a Gold Humanism Honor Society Pre-Inductee, there is no doubt that Carlon has touched the hearts of his peers, as well as the Grenadian community. This award honours students who demonstrate humanistic characteristics during their time in medical school, including positive mentoring skills, community service, compassion, sensitivity, collaboration and observance of professional ethics.

Carlon was nominated for his efforts in organising the largest campus charity drive, collecting clothing and food for mental health patients in Grenada.

Share the Knowledge
St. George’s Neuroscience Club, of which Carlon has been a member since his first term, promotes a Brain Awareness Activity Day, as part of brain awareness week, a multinational event. The event draws approximately 50 students, ages 15-17, from local schools to spend the day learning about the functions of the brain. Carlon has spearheaded this event for the past two terms and says, “The attendance has doubled since I started.”

“We split them into groups where the kids are taught some basic neurological exams like eye and ear testing, reflexes, etc.” Carlon says. “After lunch we take them to the anatomy lab, where they have a chance to see real brain specimens and learn some anatomy in a hands-on session. They also have the opportunity to look at X-rays and MRIs.”

Work Hard – Play Hard
Carlon deems himself quite the sportsman. Besides his intense studies and devoted community service, he is the captain of the University’s cricket team and he founded the School’s rugby club. “I am the most fit I’ve probably been in my life,” he states.

Carlon will head to London in July where he will continue his clinical studies at the University’s affiliated teaching hospitals in the United Kingdom. He hopes to practise in New York City after graduation.

Country of Origin: Northen Ireland

Place of Study:St. George’s University
Studying: Medical Student

A paradise holiday location

Megan McKee, a 22-year-old from Ballynahinch, in County Down, Northern Ireland, studies for her Doctor of Medicine degree at St George's University, in Grenada, West Indies. Megan is grateful for her exposure to an international community, saying, “I’ve met so many people from all over the world I never would have gotten to meet if I had stayed home. But everyone is like me, because even if they are from a different background with different rituals and so on…their thoughts are on medicine and they want to help people.”

Megan takes advantage of the school’s location in the tropics and in her off-hours participates in "hash runs" (British fun runs) through the island’s rain forests and became SCUBA-certified. “The island is worth exploring – it is very different from the UK, a paradise holiday location. So, I take time on the weekends and after exams to go to the beaches and explore, sail a catamaran, do the things I can’t do at home.”