Senior biomedical sciences student Joe Magnotta first heard about Marquette University’s Global Brigades chapter during a College of Health Sciences open house prior to his freshman year.
“While the faculty member was talking about Global Brigades, my mom turned to me and said, ‘I want this to be something you’re involved in,’” Joe says.
Little did she know, that encouragement would set in motion a path that would lead to more than one member of the Magnotta family getting involved.
After years of returning home with inspirational stories and experiences, this year’s brigade was particularly meaningful for Joe. His oldest sister, Anna Magnotta, joined him on the trip to lend her physician assistant skills — and to witness the leader her baby brother has become.
Global Brigades differentiates itself from other international health care service programs by focusing on a holistic model that empowers communities to permanently rise out of poverty and provide sustainable solutions that can be maintained after the brigade leaves.
Four years later, Joe is leading his second brigade in Panama, providing sustainable health care to rural Panamanian communities that otherwise have difficulties accessing proper care.
Further, he is one of few students at Marquette who has had the special privilege of making the medical brigade trip each year of his entire undergraduate career.
“What truly brings me back every year is the holistic model we follow,” Joe says. “The model has helped me recognize that both abroad and in the United States, the common theme for these chronic issues people face is a lack of resources. When they’re given the resources and a plan through something like Global Brigades they can get back on their feet and be able to find additional aspects in their life where they can thrive.”
Joe and Anna had service-minded values instilled in them early on, reflecting on the biblical, passage from Luke 12:48: “To whom much is given, much will be required.”
“Growing up and having enough, Joe and I going on these trips helps us recognize how much we do have and how we can give back,” Anna says.
As one of four brigade leaders, Joe was responsible for coordinating medical and dental care for Panamanian community members while procuring medications, supplies and people to administer the care.
The trips have helped both Joe and Anna remain grounded in their current healthcare work while recognizing the scope of the problem faced by those they serve in Panama
“It’s a hard week of work, but it’s only a week,” Joe says. “The people we are helping were probably born here and live this life every day. What might be a hard week for us makes a lifetime of a difference for them. That’s something I’ve learned over the last four years and want to hold onto the rest of my life.
During the brigade, Anna was impressed seeing Joe’s hard work come to fruition in real time and noticed how sharp his leadership skills were with the students he was leading.
“Something that has been really cool for me to see is that other students have come up to me unprompted to say they’ve known Joe for the last two or three years through Global Brigades and have noticed what an effective leader he is,” Anna says. “Especially in an environment like this where he’s roughing it while lacking sleep and juggling so many tasks, he still has a positive attitude.
“Seeing him takeoff and become an effective leader has made me a super proud big sister.”
Now, after thousands of patients served, countless hours planning and a lifetime of experiences, Joe is leaving Panama ready to leverage his years of experience on brigade into a new chapter of his life after graduation: pursuing a career as a physician assistant, just like Anna.
“I’ve been intentional about taking it all in this week; getting to know all the students on the brigade, talking with each health care provider and participating in every reflection at the end of the day,” Joe says. “It’s bittersweet for sure but I’ve made a lot of memories the past four years, and I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
